That is True Love
by Caskett1960
Summary: Kate suffers a seemingly minor in the line of duty injury that turns out to be far worse than anybody could imagine. Set in Season 5 between 'Still' and 'Watershed.' Rated M for adult content. Totally AU since we don't know what the future holds for Bracken.
1. Chapter 1--Touching

**Disclaimers: No, I don't.**

**Title: That is True Love**

**Summary: Kate suffers a seemingly minor in the line of duty injury that turns out to be far worse than anybody could imagine. Set in Season 5 between 'Still' and 'Watershed.' Rated M for adult content.**

**A/N #1: I'm still working on 'A Year in the Life.' I refuse to be one of those authors who starts something and leaves it unfinished. But, the people who know me well know that fluff isn't my specialty. Angst is my specialty; the darker, the better. In my other fandom I torture my female character unmercifully. I promise not to do this to Kate Beckett. After all, she's far different than my other female character. But, I'm just issuing a warning. I write angst. If this isn't your cup of tea, you don't have to read it. **

**A/N #2: This first chapter is M-rated because I start out with a sex scene. I hate the term smut. **

**A/N #3: The title comes from something Martha tells Rick in 'Anatomy of a Murder.' The line was originally met for Gina, but we all know how we feel about Gina.**

Chapter 1: Touch

"_When it comes right down to it, would you be willing to break her out of prison? Because that, my boy, is true love." Martha in 'Anatomy of a Murder'_

She loved touching him. It had started that first night. She had discovered that there were so many textures to his skin. In the early morning and late evenings, his face was rough and stubbly. She relished the roughness on her breasts and between her thighs when they made love.

His hair was soft and feathered through her fingers when she ran them through it. One of her favorite things to do was to run her fingers through his hair. She smiled as she realized that Richard Castle was the only man she'd ever known who probably spent more time on his hair in the mornings than she did. If she let him loose in the hair care aisle at the market, it could be hours before she saw him again.

She trailed her fingers down to his chest, loving the softness of his skin. His chest was broad and solid, perfect for snuggling when the weather was cold or when she was feeling down. She stopped with her fingers when she saw that he was showing signs of waking up. It wasn't often that she got to explore him and watch him while he slept. She didn't like it when he did it, although she knew that he did it every chance he got.

Soon his breathing once again deepened, so Kate continued her exploration. She spread her fingers over his stomach, feeling the way his muscles flexed under her fingers. While far from toned, Kate loved the way that Castle looked naked. She loved being pressed against him in the shower as the water streamed around them, the steam mingling with the heat of their bodies.

Biting her lip, she cautiously moved her hand further down, brushing against him through his boxers, instantly feeling him twitch and harden under her fingers. She wrapped her fingers around him and slowly stroked him, feeling him get even harder. "Kate, what do you think you're doing?" His sleepy voice stopped her touching.

"Touching," she gave him an impish smile, her lips coming down to his.

"Funny. Touching always seems to get me in trouble," he pulled away to smile into her eyes. "Did you really expect me to sleep through all of that?"

"Well, not _all _of it," she kissed him again, her tongue tracing his bottom lip as he opened up for her. Meanwhile her hand continued stroking his now rock-hard erection.

She slowly pulled his boxers down his legs before she pulled the covers off of him. Flashing Castle a 'cat that ate the cream' look, she moved down his body before taking him into her mouth. He groaned at the feeling of her warm, wet mouth licking and sucking on him, taking him into her mouth as deeply as she could before moving back up. "Fuck, Kate," he moved his fingers down to weave them into her hair, gently stroking her scalp as she continued moving up and down his hard shaft. "Come up here," he begged her.

"Uh-uh," she hummed around him, reaching her hand down to gently caress his balls in her hand, feeling him twitch in her mouth. She loved the feeling of him in her mouth. She slowly licked the underside of his shaft as he groaned and arched his back. Suddenly he gave out a loud cry as he came, holding her head tightly against his groin as he emptied himself into her mouth.

"I think that I'll let you touch me more often," his chest was still heaving when he felt the warmth of Kate cuddling against him. "Do we have time for round two in the shower?"

"Unfortunately, no," she showed him her phone. "But, you can touch me all that you want tonight."

"I'm looking forward to it."

***CCC***

They were still incredibly touchy feely even as they got into the elevator to go up to the fourth floor of the 12th precinct. "We need to stop," Kate warned him as the elevator inched upward. "Remember, professional demeanor."

"Hey, who was touching who this morning?"

"That was at home. When we're at home, we can act like that. When we're here, we can't. Gates' ass is on the line here too, Castle."

Even though Gates was aware of their relationship, there were too many other people in the department who didn't and wouldn't be happy if they were to learn of it. Before Castle had a chance to respond, the elevator stopped on the fourth floor and they stepped off. "Yo, Beckett!" Esposito called out to her. "We've got a possible location for Angel Mendoza. Ryan and I are on our way now. Do you want to come with us?"

"Hell, yes!" Kate said as she and Castle turned and immediately got back on the elevator.

They had been searching for 30-year-old Angel Mendoza for almost two weeks in connection with the murder of a notorious drug dealer. So far he'd managed to stay one step ahead of the homicide detectives due to members of his former gang as well as family members supplying him with places to hide out. Now he had been spotted in a house in TriBeca, not far from Castle's loft. "What is a low life druggie doing hiding out in TriBeca?" Castle wondered out loud when they arrived at the location and strapped on their Kevlar vests.

"Who knows?" Kate removed her Glock and checked it before looking at her team. "This guy is armed and dangerous, so be sharp. Let's go."

They stood outside the front door of the townhouse as Kate looked at Esposito and gave him the signal. "Angel Mendoza! NYPD! We have a warrant!" When there was no response, Kate signaled to Espo to kick in the door.

The door flew opened in a crash of splintered wood as the three detectives and Castle entered the two-story townhouse and began a room to room search. Shouts of 'clear' were called out as they found nothing on the first level. Taking the lead, Kate hugged the wall as they slowly made their way upstairs. The first two rooms were empty. Kate had just kicked in the door to the third room when she felt like she'd been blindsided by a linebacker for the New York Giants.

She'd been hit by 240 pounds of crazed meth addict. Angel Mendoza bulldozed into Kate, throwing her off balance and over the second floor railing to the floor below. "Kate!" Castle screamed out, watching helplessly as she flew over the railing.

"Freeze, asshole!" Espo and Ryan yelled at the same time. "Hands behind your head! Castle, check on Beckett!" Espo ordered as Ryan walked over and handcuffed Mendoza.

Castle ran down the stairs and over to Kate, who was lying unconscious on the marble floor, blood pooling under her head. "Kate!" he called out her name.

"This is Det. Javier Esposito!" Javi shouted into his radio as he and Ryan came downstairs with the suspect. "We need a bus at the corner of Broome and Ashby. Officer down! Castle, don't move her!"

"Come on, Kate. Wake up," Castle begged her as he knelt down beside her. After several minutes, he heard a low moan coming from her lips. "Kate?"

"What happened?" He heard her mumble.

"You got knocked over a railing. The bus will be here in a few minutes. Try not to move."

"Did we get him?"

"Yeah, we got him," Castle looked over his shoulder to where the boys were still standing with the suspect.

"Head really hurts, Castle," she moaned as the paramedics entered the room with a gurney.

After checking her over, they loaded her into an ambulance and headed for the hospital, Castle riding with her. "I'll call your dad when we get to the hospital," he told her as she nodded, the slight movement sending lightning bolts of pain through her head and neck.

Kate could never remember hurting so badly, not even after she'd gotten shot. Her head felt like it was going to split apart. The pain radiated down her neck and back. The last thing she remembered was going up the stairs. She reached her hand out toward Castle, feeling comforted when she felt his fingers clasping over hers. "I'm beginning to feel sick," she warned, gagging as the paramedic rolled her onto her side and placed an emesis basin under her chin.

"Is that normal?" Castle asked.

"It's probably a concussion. They'll know more after they take x-rays," the paramedic attempted to console him.

Kate was still throwing up when they rolled her into the emergency room and straight into a trauma room, where they blocked Castle from entering. He pulled out his phone and called Jim Beckett, leaving a message about what had happened to Kate.

"Mr. Castle!" He turned to find Capt. Gates striding toward him, her expression hard and unreadable, as usual. "Det. Esposito called and told me that Beckett had been injured by a suspect. How is she?"

"They haven't told me anything, yet. She was throwing up in the ambulance. I left a message for her father. Now I'm just waiting."

"What happened?"

"She was about to go into a room where we thought our suspect was hiding. He came barreling out and went straight into her, knocking her over a second-floor railing. She fell about 15 or 20 feet to the floor below."

"Did she regain consciousness?"

"Yes, right before the ambulance got there. She was making sense, so I guess that's good news."

"Yeah, I'm sure that it is."

"Family of Katherine Beckett!" A doctor called out.

"We're her colleagues. Her father is on his way," Capt. Gates told the man.

"I'm still awaiting x-rays, but nothing appears to be broken. She's a very lucky young woman. I'll know more conclusively when the x-rays come back, but I'm going to admit her for 24-hour observation."

***CCC***

When Kate opened her eyes, it was hard to focus. But finally her eyes fixed on the person sitting at her bedside. "You and mom always told me that I had a hard head," she slurred sleepily as her father chuckled.

"Yes, we did. But this wasn't exactly what we were talking about," Jim Beckett reached for his daughter's hand, gently kneading her fingers. "You're not Batgirl, Katie. You have to remember that you can't fly."

"I think that guy was a linebacker for the Giants. I hurt all over. So, what's the verdict? Am I going to live?"

"You have a severe concussion. You're also badly bruised up. But, you're very lucky. It could've been a lot worse."

"Is Castle here?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Jim smiled. "Do you want me to send him in?"

"Do you even have to ask?" She threw his question back at him.

"I'll send him in," he planted a kiss on her forehead as he got up.

Kate's precinct 'family' was all waiting expectantly when Jim stepped out of her room. "She's slowly coming around, but she's still pretty groggy. Rick, she's asking for you."

Kate's eyes were closed when Castle entered the room, but they fluttered opened when she felt his hand covering hers. "Hey, Castle," she breathed as he bent down and kissed her softly.

"You've got to stop scaring the shit out of me, Beckett."

"What's wrong? Did you try to tackle me again?"

"I never got a chance. They're going to keep you overnight. You'll be released tomorrow afternoon and then I'm going to take you to the loft."

"Castle, I can take care of myself," she protested weakly.

"Hey, that's not up for debate. The doc doesn't want you being left alone for a few days."

"I am okay though, aren't I?"

"Yeah, you're fine," he smiled.

"I'm glad because right now I feel like I got hit by a truck. I'm so tired."

"Then sleep," he kissed her hand. "I'll stay right here until you go to sleep."

As she drifted back to sleep, she wanted to ask him about the odd tingling in her legs and arms. It felt like everything was asleep. But she was so tired that it was hard to form thoughts. She'd ask him when she woke up.

**A/N #4: Things will get much worse before they get better. Please read and review.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960. If I'm not bitching about my family, I'm talking Castle with my followers. **


	2. Chapter 2--Pins and Needles

**Disclaimers: If only (sigh). **

**Summary: Kate's condition begins to deteriorate as she wonders what's wrong with her.**

**A/N #1: In real life, I'd probably be hiring a lawyer and suing Kate's doctors. But things do slip through the cracks sometimes, especially in the medical profession.**

**A/N #2: Never question my motives. I almost always know where I'm going. I always have a method to my madness.**

Chapter 2: Pins and Needles

The next day, Kate was dismayed when she found herself fitted with a cervical collar. "Seriously?" She made a face as her doctor examined her.

"You hit your neck and your back rather hard when you fell," the doctor explained. "The collar is to stabilize everything while you heal. Now, do you have any questions?"

"Yeah. My legs and arms feel like they're asleep. I noticed it when I woke up yesterday."

"You could've compressed a disc in the fall. Another reason for the collar. If it doesn't improve in a few days, come back in and I'll order more x-rays or an MRI to see if anything got missed."

"When can I wash my hair?" She asked, feeling the dried blood at her hair line.

"Well, you're stapled, so you can wash your hair when you get home," he smiled at her.

"You stapled my head?"

"It was a fairly large wound. Is someone coming to get pick you up?"

"Yeah, my . . . uh . . . partner is waiting for me."

"Take care of yourself, Ms. Beckett."

Kate walked out of her room to find Castle waiting for her. She smiled at the welcome sight of him. "Hey, Castle," she breathed when he stepped up and kissed her.

"Are you ready to go home?"

"Yeah," she stood up and leaned into him as he slipped his arm around her and led her out to the waiting Town Car. She still felt so tired and weak. She longed to just cuddle into Castle's shoulder, but once they were in the car and she was seat belted in, she had to be content with holding his hand.

As the driver took them to the loft, Castle kept sneaking glances at Kate. She looked at him and smiled. "So, how long do you have to wear the horse collar?"

"A few days. I hate it. Now I know how Espo felt when he had to wear one of these. They suck."

"Kate, it's just to protect you. You took a hard fall."

It was in his voice. The terror that she'd only heard one other time. In a cemetery on a sunny May morning. "I'm sorry, Castle," she squeezed his fingers. "I didn't mean to scare you."

He smiled at her with his eyes shiny with tears. "I thought that you were dead, Kate. He hit you so damn hard and you just went over that railing like you were weightless."

"Was he high?"

"No. Espo said if he'd been high, he would've been more combative. He was just trying to get away. Ryan told me that he cried like a baby when they had him in the box."

"I'm sorry that I missed it," she tried to lean her head back, but the hard plastic of the collar made it impossible. She pulled her hand from Castle's and shook it, trying to get rid of the pins and needles feeling.

"Are you okay?"

"My hand's asleep. The doctor said I might've compressed a disc in the fall. My arms and legs feel like they're asleep all of the time."

"Will that feeling go away?" His brow furrowed in concern.

"He said that it should."

It was quiet in the loft when Castle led Kate inside. "Come on, let's get you settled," he took her by the hand and led her back to the bedroom, where he turned down the covers. "Do you have any prescriptions?"

"Yeah. They're in my purse," she said, opening her purse and handing Castle the two paper prescriptions.

"Let me get you settled and I'll go get these filled."

After helping her into bed and all but tucking her in, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and left to go to the drugstore down the street.

It didn't take Kate long to figure out that sleeping with this collar wasn't going to happen. She finally took Castle's two pillows and stacked them up on hers. By being propped up into an almost sitting position, she was finally able to doze off.

"I'm thinking that I need to order a Sleep Number bed," she opened her eyes when she heard Castle's voice beside the bed.

"I couldn't get comfortable," she explained. She blinked rapidly as Castle's image swam in front of her face.

"Kate, are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just so tired. Did you get my prescriptions?"

"No. They'll be ready in a couple of hours."

"Do you think that you can help me take a shower and wash my hair? I want to get this blood out of it."

"Come on," he held his hand out to her as she climbed out of bed, stumbling a bit as she grabbed his hand. "Kate?"

"I'm okay. I just lost my balance for a second. Castle, I'm okay," she noticed the worried look that crossed his face. "They wouldn't have released me if I wasn't. Come on, I need a shower."

Kate carefully removed the collar from her neck, wincing at the pain in her neck and upper back. She then removed her clothes with Castle's help before he turned on the water and made sure that the temperature was comfortable before helping her in. He then removed his own clothes and got in behind her, taking the shower wand in his hand and carefully rinsing her hair, trying to be mindful of the silver staples that dotted the bottom of her hairline. "This might sting a little," he warned as he poured some shampoo into his hand and began massaging it through her tangled hair. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good. It stings, but I already feel so much cleaner," she couldn't help pressing into him, sighing at the feeling of his fingers massaging her scalp.

Castle then poured some of her cherry scented body wash onto a bath sponge and began to wash her body. "Are you still okay?"

"No complaints so far. Except for my feet."

"What's wrong with your feet?"

"It's just that stupid pins and needles feeling."

As he rinsed her off, he frowned at the huge dark bruises that ran from her neck almost down to her feet. She hadn't looked this bad the morning after Maddox. "Let's get you rinsed off and back into bed. I want you to rest."

After he helped her out, he dried her and blow dried her hair before helping her into some satin pajamas that he'd gotten her as part of the ruined Valentine's Day gift. The gift that had ended up in Capt. Gates blazer pocket. He was still living that one down. Last, he helped her with the cervical collar as she made a face. "Castle, will you read to me?"

"What would you like me to read?" He smiled down at her. He loved when she wasn't wearing heels because it made her short enough so that he could really cuddle and hold her.

"Nikki Heat. Did you really need to ask?"

"Come on," he took her hand and led her back into their bedroom. He helped her into bed before going into his office and coming back with his copy of _Frozen Heat_. After some trial and error, they finally found a position where Kate could get reasonably comfortable. He opened the book and began to read. "_Nikki Heat marched through the homicide bull pen of the Twentieth Precinct at a determined clip that left little doubt in the minds of the detectives . . . " _He looked down at his shoulder and saw that Kate had fallen asleep, her hand on his stomach and her head propped on his shoulder. He carefully settled her on the stack of pillows on her side of the bed, covering her and kissing her softly on the forehead before he left the room.

An hour later he'd just returned back to the loft with her prescriptions when his mother entered the loft. "How's Katherine?"

"Sore. She's sleeping right now. What's in the bag?" He noticed the large canvas bag dangling from his mother's arm.

"Oh, I brought a few things for the patient," Martha set the bag on the counter and began removing the contents. "Put this in the freezer," she handed her son a carton of Ben and Jerry's New York Chocolate Chunk. "Everything is better with ice cream, but when that ice cream is a 'death by chocolate' experience, it just magnifies it," Martha smiled. "I also brought her a large bag of M&M's, and some magazines."

"Mother, she's only going to be home for a couple of days," Rick pointed out. "She can work with the collar on. Espo did it, just at a much slower pace."

"Ooh, I didn't know that she has to wear one of those hideous collars. The poor dear must be miserable."

Rick smiled. His mother could be so dramatic at times. He was about to say something more when he saw Kate standing, or rather, leaning in his office doorway. "Kate, I didn't know that you were awake."

"Katherine, how are you feeling?" Martha approached and tentatively hugged her.

"I'm going to be okay, Martha. I'm just extremely sore. Did you get my prescriptions?"

"Yes, I did," he handed her the bag.

She had a prescription for pain killers and another for muscle relaxants. The directions for the pain killers said that they had to be taken with food. "I have to eat something before I take these," she told Castle.

"What would you like?"

"It doesn't matter," she sounded somewhat dejected.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He came over and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I just feel awful, Castle," she began to cry. "My head hurts, my neck and back hurt, I have to wear this stupid collar that makes me feel like I should have a bag of oats hanging from my neck. I'm hungry, but I don't even know what I want to eat!"

"How about some pancakes?" He suggested as she wiped at her eyes and nodded.

"Chocolate chip?" She added hopefully as Castle smiled and nodded.

"I brought you a gigantic bag of M&M's," Martha told her as Kate grinned. "There's also a carton of Ben & Jerry's in the freezer. New York Chocolate Chunk, which has more chocolate than should be allowed by law."

"Thank you, Martha."

During their pancake dinner, Kate was having a hard time holding onto her fork. The pins and needles feeling seemed to have gotten worse since she came home from the hospital. After they ate, Castle helped her over to the sofa where she curled up with one of the magazines Martha had brought while Castle cleaned up. He then came over and sat beside her, pulling her into his body. "Are your hands and feet still tingly?"

"Yeah. It seems to have gotten worse. I might go back to the hospital tomorrow if it doesn't improve."

Castle knew that it was bad if Kate was volunteering to go back to the hospital. They sat in companionable silence for another couple of hours before Kate decided that she was ready for bed. Rick went and took two pillows from the bed in the guest room since Kate had taken his. After making sure that she was comfortable, he lay his head down and fell asleep.

It was extreme thirst that woke Kate up in the middle of the night. She glanced at the clock beside Rick's side of the bed and saw that it was just after three in the morning. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up; grabbing the bed as her legs almost gave out under her. After attempting to stand for the second time, she made her way to the kitchen and a glass of water.

Glass breaking woke Castle out of a sound sleep. He jumped out of bed, noticing that Kate wasn't in bed. "Kate!" He called out as he ran into the kitchen.

Kate was standing by the kitchen sink, her expression one of terror. "I dropped a glass," she explained.

"Are you okay?" He asked, coming into the kitchen. The sink was full of broken glass. "Did you cut yourself?"

"Castle, I can't feel anything in my hands."

**A/N #3: I promise the chapters will start getting longer. This seems as good a place as any to end things.**

**Follow me on Twitter Caskett1960.**


	3. Chapter 3--Searching for Answers

**Disclaimers: Nope.**

**Summary: Kate undergoes tests, which reveals devastating results.**

**A/N #1: I realize in my first chapter that there were several things that should've been done after Kate's accident, but weren't. In this chapter, I'm going to try and explain why she didn't undergo further tests after suffering a severe head and neck injury. Please believe me when I say that I know where I'm going. **

**A/N #2: My plan isn't to put distance between Rick and Kate. She's going to discover that she needs him more than ever.**

Chapter 3: The Search for Answers

"You said that the feeling has started to come back in your hands?" The man standing at her side was Dr. Roland Herrera, the top neurologist at Lennox Hill Hospital.

"Yeah, but they still feel like they're asleep."

"How far did you say you fell?" He asked, making notes on her chart.

"About 15 feet or so."

"Okay. Squeeze my hand with your right hand," he instructed her as she followed his orders. "Now your left. Great." He moved to the end of the bed and uncovered her bare feet. "Press against my hand with your right foot. Now your left. Thank you."

"Am I okay?"

"Honestly, no. I'm going to order an MRI which should've been done when you were brought in after your accident. But, the fact that you're still mobile is a hopeful sign. Let me get a rush on the MRI."

"Uh, my partner is out in the corridor. Can you send him in while I'm waiting for the MRI?"

"I'll send him in," the doctor walked out of the room.

"Doctor, how is she?" Castle jumped to his feet when the doctor came out of the trauma room.

"The paralysis in her hands seems to be resolving, but I'm going to order an MRI. I'm also going to be asking a lot of questions. She's asking for you."

Castle took a deep breath before he entered the trauma room. Kate smiled at him with tears in her eyes as she held her hand out toward him. "Get over here, Castle."

"I called your dad," he told her as he walked over. "He'll be here in a little while. I also called my mother and Alexis."

Castle couldn't help remembering the scene from earlier that morning.

"_Castle, I can't feel my hands," the look on Kate's face was one of sheer terror._

"_What do you mean; you can't feel your hands?"_

"_They're completely numb. I reached for a water glass and it was like I was grabbing air. My legs feel like rubber."_

"_I'm taking you back to the ER. Now!" He told her in a voice that left no room for argument._

"Castle, I'm going to be okay," she reached up to touch his face. While the feeling had returned to her hands, she still felt so weak. Castle took her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. She could see how scared he looked.

"I think Dr. Herrera's going to kick ass and take names."

"My kind of guy," she smiled. "Is he your doing?"

"Well, I can't have you having just _any _neurologist. I had to find a kick-ass guy for a kick-ass detective."

"Thanks, Castle."

"Hey, you'd do the same for me."

"Probably," she smiled, remembering when she'd told him the same thing after her car had been pushed into the Hudson River and he'd saved her from drowning.

The door opened and an orderly walked in, followed by Dr. Herrera and a second man. "Ms. Beckett, this is my colleague, Dr. Singh. If you require surgery, he'll be the one performing it."

"Surgery? I'm going to need surgery?"

"Ms. Beckett, let's not put the cart before the horse. Right now, you're going to have an MRI and we'll see where we go from there. Mr. Castle, if you want to wait outside, we'll let you know what the results are."

"I'll be outside waiting for your dad," Rick gently kissed Kate's knuckles before she was wheeled from the room.

Castle was walking up and down the halls when Jim Beckett arrived. "Rick, what happened?"

"She got up to get some water. I heard a glass breaking and when I went to find out what was going on, I found her in the kitchen. She told me that she couldn't feel her hands. I immediately brought her back up here. She's having an MRI done right now."

"Shouldn't they have done that the day she had the accident?" Jim questioned.

"That's what the neurologist is looking into. He doesn't understand why no tests were done. They did x-rays, but x-rays don't always show everything."

Lying inside of the MRI chamber was terrifying. The noise alone was putting Kate on edge. She took several deep breaths to calm herself. "We're almost done, Ms. Beckett," she heard the tech telling her.

On the other side of the glass windows, the neurologist and neurosurgeon were looking at the images that were coming up on the computer screen. "Why wasn't an MRI ordered when she was brought in?" Dr. Singh asked.

"I don't know. I haven't questioned the doctor who treated her, yet. There's a lot of swelling," Dr. Herrera noted, pointing to the images of Kate's upper spine that were coming up.

"As concerning as that is, that's what's concerning me more," Dr. Singh nodded toward a dark area on the screen. "That needs to be dealt with immediately. Is her family here?"

"Her boyfriend is here and he said that her father is on his way."

"Let's go and talk to them."

Castle and Jim Beckett had been joined by Alexis and Martha when the two doctors returned. Dr. Singh turned toward Jim. "Mr. Beckett?" Jim Beckett nodded. "I'm Dr. Singh. There is good news and bad news. There is no fracture in your daughter's spinal cord which is very good news. However, there is a lot of swelling which could be causing the temporary paralysis that your daughter experienced earlier. There's also a blood clot, which could also be the cause. This clot needs to be taken care of immediately. If it were to break free and travel to her heart or lungs, it will kill her."

"Why wasn't an MRI done when Katie was brought in? I'm an attorney. I've seen many instances of medical malpractice. Katie fell from a second floor apartment. An MRI should've been done right away."

"Mr. Beckett, I don't know why protocol wasn't followed. We're checking into that now."

"How are you going to remove the clot?"

"We're going to go in and dissolve the clot. This is much less invasive than going in surgically. It will also lessen the possibility of further problems."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"We won't know for several days. The swelling might've caused some weakness in her arms and legs. She'll require some physical therapy to return to 100 percent. I'll have consent forms brought over for you to sign and we'll get that clot taken care of."

"So, is she going to be admitted until the swelling is resolved?" Rick asked.

"Yes. She'll be on IV's so we can administer anti-inflammatory drugs. Excuse me, please," he turned and left.

"How in the hell can the medical profession be so damn careless?" Jim wondered out loud.

"Maybe they thought that she was okay," Rick attempted to console the older man. "After all, she was talking and was oriented to time and place."

"They still should've run tests, Rick."

Kate had just been removed from the claustrophobic MRI chamber when the two doctors came in. "So, am I going to live?"

"I need to show you something," Dr. Singh held up one of the prints from the MRI so that Kate could see it clearly. "There is swelling on your spinal cord. We're going to start you on anti-inflammatory medication to relieve the swelling. But, this—," he pointed to a dark spot on the image. "—This is a blood clot. If it breaks free, it will be fatal."

"So, you have to operate?" She asked in terror. She'd almost died during her last surgery.

"No. I'm going to give you a local anesthetic and thread a catheter up to the clot and dissolve it. It's much less invasive and less risky than operating."

"So, I'm going to be awake?"

"Does that scare you?"

"Yes, it scares me."

"This will be done in an operating room, but you'll be awake. As soon as I get the consent forms from your father, you'll be taken to an OR."

Kate was moved to a waiting area to await the trip to the OR. Tears trickled from her eyes and into her hair as she waited. Suddenly she heard familiar footsteps on the linoleum. "Hey, don't cry," Castle wiped the tears from her face.

"Hey, Castle. Where's my dad?"

"He'll be in to see you in just a second. They're about to take you into the OR, so I can't stay long. You're going to be okay," he kissed her longingly. "I'll see you in just a little while, okay?"

"Okay," she smiled.

Castle left, only to be replaced by her father. "Katie Bug, believe me when I tell you that I'm going to get to the bottom of this. There's no reasonable explanation for them not to perform an MRI on you when you were brought in."

"Dad, I thought that I was okay. It wasn't their fault, it was mine."

"Hush. They still should've run tests. I'll see you in an hour or so. Dr. Singh isn't sure how long this is going to take. He said and I quote, 'These things can't be rushed.' So, I want him to be thorough. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"I'll see you soon."

A short time later, Kate was wheeled into an operating room where she met up with both Dr. Singh and Dr. Herrera, who was assisting. After slipping a cap over her long curls, a nurse started an IV in her hand. She looked up above her head as someone turned on what looked like a giant TV screen. She winced as a needle bit into her neck and her whole body felt as if it was on fire. "My body feels hot," she complained.

"That's perfectly normal," Dr. Singh assured her. "I'm going to insert this catheter into your carotid artery and guide it down to the clot. It might feel a little strange, but I can assure you that it isn't painful. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she took a deep breath as she felt a slight pinch and some pressure in her neck when the doctor began inserting the catheter.

There was a camera on the end of the catheter. Kate watched in morbid fascination as the catheter began making its way through her body. Each time Kate's blood pressure spiked, the doctor stopped and waited. "How are you feeling, Ms. Beckett?" He asked pleasantly.

"Okay. I'm a little woozy," she admitted.

"That's also perfectly normal."

The catheter once again began making its journey through her body. The warming that she was feeling began to become intense. "Stop," she whimpered as the catheter continued its descent. "I feel like I'm on fire! Please stop!"

"Ms. Beckett, you need to relax. This won't take much longer."

"No, you don't understand," Kate began to panic.

"Doctor," the anesthesiologist looked toward the monitors and toward Dr. Singh.

"Okay, let's start a valium drip. Ms. Beckett, we're going to start an IV with valium to help you relax. It'll also make you quite sleepy."

Within minutes of the IV starting, Kate felt her body start to relax. While she was still feeling the intense burn, her body was no longer trying to fight it. This would've been so much easier if they'd let Castle or even her father come back to hold her hand. Somebody who understood about the panic attacks and her PTSD. She watched as the catheter attached itself to the clot as something was shot into it. She watched in fascination as the clot vanished like something in one of Castle's video games. She had a vague feeling of something being slowly pulled from her body as the burning instantly ceased. "Am I done?"

"For now. You're going to be moved to a room and started on anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce the swelling in your spinal cord. I'll explain everything once you're moved."

Castle and Jim Beckett looked up as Dr. Singh emerged from the operating theater. "Mr. Beckett, your daughter will be moved to a room in a few minutes. The procedure went as planned although the clot was slightly larger than it appeared on the MRI. Ms. Beckett has been sedated because she became quite panicky during the procedure. But, now she'll rest and I'll talk to both of you further after she's been moved."

"Thank you, doctor," Jim turned to Castle. "I'd like for you to come with me when they talk to us. I don't know what more he has to say, but something tells me it isn't going to be talk of puppies and rainbows."

***CCC***

Kate felt like she was having an out of body experience. The valium was making her head spin and all she wanted to do was go to sleep. She heard her door opened and footsteps approaching her bed. She forced her eyes opened to see her father and Castle standing there. "I apologize for not getting up, but I'm really sleepy right now."

"Dr. Singh said that he had you sedated. What happened, Katie?" Her father asked.

"It was awful. I felt like I was on fire. I guess I started freaking out. I don't remember much about it. Why are you both here? Is he going to give us more bad news?"

"I don't know. He should be here soon."

The door opened and the two doctors walked into the room. "Great, the gang's all here," Kate sighed.

"Det. Beckett, I was looking at your file," Dr. Herrera began. "An MRI was ordered. I don't know why it wasn't done."

Kate's mind went back to the afternoon of her accident. She'd been in and out of consciousness. "He cancelled it," she suddenly blurted out as every eye in the room turned to her.

"Who cancelled it?" Dr. Herrera asked.

"I don't know. There was a man in the room. It wasn't the ER doctor, because he had an accent. It hurt to turn my head, so I never saw him. I was drifting in and out. But I heard someone say 'Cancel the MRI.' I just thought it meant that I was okay."

"Kate, what do you remember about the man's voice?" Castle asked.

"Nothing. It was just a normal voice. I never saw his face," she repeated. "Maybe I'm going crazy."

"Doctor, is Katie going to be okay?" Jim Beckett asked.

"The swelling is rather significant," Dr. Singh told the two men. "While I feel confident that Ms. Beckett will once again reclaim full function in all four limbs, there might be some residual damage. Some problems with motor function. You'll need physical therapy," he turned to Kate.

"Okay. I've gone the PT route before. Will I be able to go back to work?"

"I simply don't know, yet."

"So, you're saying that this is a potentially career ending injury?" Kate's voice began to rise.

"Again, I don't know."

"Is there anything that you do know?" She shouted as her head began to spin.

"Ms. Beckett, please relax. I gave you the valium a while ago to help you relax. Please let it do its work," Dr. Singh told her.

"Dad, can I be alone with Castle for a little while?"

"Of course. I'll be outside."

The doctors left with Mr. Beckett as Castle pulled up a chair and began to sit down. "Can you sit on the edge of the bed, Castle?"

He got up and sat on the edge of the bed as she rested her hand on his thigh. "Kate, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That the MRI was cancelled on purpose?" She looked at him as he nodded. "Have you called Gates, yet?"

"No, I was going to wait until I know she's at the precinct."

"When you call her, tell her about the MRI being cancelled. Try to find out who the doctor was who treated me. Find out where—"

"Kate, I know what to do. You need to rest and get better. We're going to get to the bottom of this."

"Castle, I can't help wondering if it was simple medical negligence or if _he's _behind this somehow."

Castle knew what _he _Kate was talking about. If this was the work of Bracken, how had he learned that Kate was in the hospital? And why was he once again trying to kill her?

***CCC***

"Hello?" The disembodied voice answered his cell phone.

"It's been started," the other voice said.

"Is she dead?"

"No, but she's been incapacitated. She's no longer a threat to you."

"She's going to be a threat to me as long as she's still alive. Her and the writer. Take care of it."

"I'll take care of it, but it's going to cost you."

"I had no doubt of that. Don't call me again until they're _both _dead."

**A/N #3: Okay, this isn't the course that I was planning on taking. But Chuck, my boyfriend, beta, and not my muse suggested it last night as we were going to sleep. See? I told you that there's always a method to my madness.**

**A/N #4: For those who are interested in my other Fan Fiction universe, the TV show is 'The Rookies.' It's an old show from the 70's, which is my era. I write on that fandom under the name RkieFan1960. Read my more recent stuff because my old stuff is awful. **

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960.**


	4. Chapter 4--I'm not the Crazy One Here

**Disclaimers: I wish.**

**Summary: A lot of questions are raised as some begin to doubt Kate's sanity.**

Chapter 4: I'm not the Crazy One Here

"Mr. Castle, what are you babbling about?" Capt. Victoria Gates never had any patience for Richard Castle, especially at barely seven o'clock in the morning. She hadn't even had her first cup of coffee, yet.

"I had to bring Kate back to the ER early this morning. They removed a blood clot from her spine."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"She has swelling on her spinal cord. They've started her on IV medication to reduce it, but she's going to be in the hospital for several days. Captain, something's going on. Kate was supposed to have had an MRI the day of the accident. It was ordered in her file. Kate said that she heard someone canceling the test."

"Mr. Castle, there could be any of a thousand reasons why the test was suddenly canceled. Maybe it was decided that it wasn't necessary."

"Both of the doctors who are currently treating Kate said that an MRI is SOP in the event of a head or neck injury, especially considering the distance that Kate fell."

"Have they talked to the person who canceled the test?"

"That's just it," Castle paused. "They can't find him."

"He should be listed on the chart somewhere. He would've had to sign off on the cancelation. What about the doctor who was on duty when she was brought in?"

"Dr. Sajorsky comes on duty in half an hour. Kate's father is going to talk to him."

"I'll send Ryan and Esposito up there if I can spare them. After all, Mr. Castle, nobody's died."

"Not yet," he said under his breath. "Thank you, captain."

"Keep me posted, Mr. Castle."

Castle had sent Alexis and his mother home to get some sleep. He turned the ringer off on his cell phone and went back into Kate's room, taking his post in the chair by her bed. She'd fallen asleep shortly after the two doctors had left her room, her long hair framing her face. Castle reached out and took his hand in hers, smiling when she sighed and closed her fingers around his. He then stretched out and fell asleep himself.

Jim Beckett was watching every employee coming through the doors, trying to figure out which one was the doctor that he wanted to talk to. He finally saw the man who he thought might be his target. He was in his 40's with graying hair. "Excuse me, Dr. Sajorsky?" The man stopped in front of Jim. "My name is James Beckett. My daughter, Detective Katherine Beckett, was brought in a couple of days ago after suffering a head injury in the line of duty."

"She fell from a second floor apartment. I remember," he said in a heavy Russian accent.

"She had to be admitted earlier this morning. They had to remove a blood clot from her spine and she also has swelling on her spinal cord. I'd like to know why an MRI wasn't ordered."

"Hold on while I look up her information," he stepped behind the nurses' station and typed some information into the computer. "No, I ordered an MRI. See? It is right here."

"Katie says that someone canceled the MRI."

"No, that is not possible. I was the attending physician, so I was the only person who could cancel tests once they were ordered. Your daughter is mistaken."

"No, Doctor. My daughter is _not _mistaken. For whatever reason, that MRI was never done. She clearly heard someone canceling it."

"Mr. Beckett, your daughter was in and out of consciousness. After a head injury, the mind plays tricks. A person sometimes imagines things that never happened."

"Then how do you explain the MRI not being done?"

"How do you say in English? Wires get crossed. Lennox Hill has a very busy ER. Mistakes are made."

"So, that's your explanation? 'Mistakes are made.' My daughter could very possibly have sustained permanent damage because 'mistakes were made.' I'm sorry, Dr. Sajorsky, but your explanation is unsatisfactory!" Heads turned as Jim Beckett lost his composure, very unusual for the mild mannered attorney. He could only remember being this angry one other time, on a cold January night in 1999.

"Sir," a nurse approached the two men, "this is a hospital. You need to calm down."

"I'm not done with you," Jim jabbed his finger at the doctor as he strode to the elevator.

***CCC***

"Ryan! Esposito!" Capt. Gates called the two men from her office doorway.

"Yes, sir," they said in unison as they entered her office.

"Mr. Castle had to take Det. Beckett back to the hospital this morning. She had some complications from her fall. He said that an MRI was ordered, but was never performed. He also said that Det. Beckett heard someone supposedly canceling the MRI. I know that it's not a homicide, but Det. Beckett is one of our own. I want the two of you to go to Lennox Hill and talk to everybody who was in the ER when Det. Beckett was treated. Let me know if you find out anything."

"Yes, sir."

Kate's harsh breathing woke Castle out of a deep sleep. He jerked awake and looked at Kate, watching her chest heaving with panic as she occasionally cried out. "Kate? Come on, Kate. You need to wake up."

Kate jerked awake and stared at Castle's face, her eyes wide. "What time is it?"

"Almost eight. I called Gates and told her what was going on. How do you feel?"

"No better, but no worse. Where's my dad?"

"He was going to talk to the doctor who was on duty when you were brought in." He couldn't help but notice Kate smiling a bit. "What's so funny?"

"I think I spoke Russian to him. Did they find out who canceled the MRI?"

"No, not yet."

About that time, her door opened and a doctor with graying brown hair walked in. "Det. Beckett?" His accent was very thick.

"Did I speak Russian to you?" Kate asked him in flawless Russian, reminding Castle of the time she'd saved his ass as Katya, the Russian mobster's supposed girlfriend.

"Yes, you did. I was surprised to find an American who spoke such good Russian. I understand that you are having some confusion about the day of your accident. I ordered MRI, but I never canceled it."

"You weren't the one who canceled it. Whoever canceled it didn't have an accent. I know what I heard."

"I was the only doctor in the room with you. Did they give you pain medication in the ambulance?"

"No," Castle answered. "They braced her neck, but they didn't give her anything."

"You were . . . how do you say . . . out of it. The MRI was not canceled. Someone . . . how do you say . . . dropped the ball."

"Wow, you're just full of American clichés, aren't you?" Kate asked sarcastically. "Again, I know what I heard."

"And I am telling you that I was the only doctor treating you. I _did not _cancel the MRI. You were taken for tests. I have them here on your chart."

"I was taken to have x-rays. I'd remember the MRI because I have panic attacks. I almost had one when I was having it done earlier. I didn't have an MRI the day of the accident!" She was shaking with rage. Why didn't anybody believe her?

"But, it is on chart," he showed her the chart. 'MRI' was checked off.

"Then why can't they find the results of it?"

"I do not know. Maybe the films were misplaced. You suffered a serious injury. An injury that can make you think things that aren't true."

"I'm not crazy!"

"Kate—" Castle cautioned her.

"No, Castle! Why doesn't anybody believe me? I know what I heard! Someone was on the phone canceling the test!"

"It is obvious that you're upset—"

"No shit, Sherlock. What was your first clue?"

"The chart does not lie."

"Charts can be altered. Castle, get him out of here before I jump out of this bed and strangle him with my IV tubing."

"You heard the lady," Castle herded the doctor from Kate's room before she did exactly what she was threatening to do.

"Maybe when she is feeling better, she will realize that her mind is playing tricks on her. It happens with head injuries."

Castle ran a hand through his hair before going back into Kate's room. "Castle, I'm not crazy," she repeated when he came back and sat down at her bedside.

"Kate, he is right about one thing. Head injuries can do things to your memory. I know that they'd probably given you pain medication after you were brought in."

"No," she shook her head. "I wasn't given anything until after the x-rays. So, are you on the crazy bandwagon, too? Castle, if the MRI wasn't canceled, then where are the results? Did they say anything to you or my dad about doing an MRI?"

"No," Castle conceded. "They told us about the x-rays. Nobody said anything about an MRI."

"Castle, the blood clot should've shown up on the x-ray. I watched them remove it. It was at least the size of a nickel. Something like that will show up on film."

"Kate, you're tired and you're scared. I can understand why you're seeing conspiracy theories behind everything, but I'm sure that there's a reasonable explanation that will make all of this make some kind of twisted sense."

"Like I'm crazy?"

"Nobody thinks that you're crazy."

"Castle, I'm really tired," she sighed. "You also look like you could use some sleep. Why don't you go home and get a few hours sleep in our bed? I'm clearly not going anywhere," she smiled.

"Okay. Is your phone nearby so that you can call me if you need to?"

"I think they put it in the drawer," she nodded to the table beside her bed. "Can you give it to me?"

He opened the drawer and removed her cell, placing it in her hand and curling her fingers around it. "I think your dad's still around here somewhere. I'll find him and let him know that I'm going. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Okay," he leaned down and kissed her.

"I love you," he brushed her hair from her face.

"I love you," she answered back.

Castle walked out of the room and over to the elevator, pressing the 'down' button. The doors opened and Jim Beckett prepared to step out. "Rick, are you leaving?"

"Yeah, Kate suggested that I go home and get some decent sleep. How did it go with Dr. Sajorsky?"

"Not very well. He insists that he was the only doctor in the room with Katie, so he was the only one who could've canceled the test."

"That's pretty much the song and dance that he just gave her, too."

"He came up here?"

"Yeah, she threatened to strangle him with her IV. He told her that her mind was playing tricks on her."

"Is she asleep?"

"No, not yet. Anyway, I'm going to go home, but I'll be back in three hours or so." 

"Take it easy. Katie's in good hands."

***CCC***

When Castle stepped off of the elevator in the lobby, he was surprised, but pleased, to see Ryan and Esposito. "What're you guys doing here?"

"Gates sent us. How's Beckett?" Espo asked.

"I don't know. They removed a blood clot from her spine earlier. Right now, they're pumping her full of medication to reduce the swelling in her spine. The doctor that treated her during her first trip is trying to insinuate that she's one French fry short of a Happy Meal."

"Well, we've got a warrant and we're going to start digging," Ryan promised him. "Where are you going?"

"Home to get some sleep. I'll be back around lunchtime. Text me if you find out anything."

"You've got it," Espo promised.

It took some doing, but the boys finally managed to get the names of everybody who'd been in the ER with Beckett the day of the accident. None of the five female nurses could recall anybody canceling the MRI. They all told Ryan and Esposito basically the same thing. That there had been no male nurses in the room. The only man who had been in the room had been Dr. Ivan Sajorsky.

"He has an accent," Ryan told his partner. "He definitely didn't cancel the MRI. Kate told Castle that the male voice that she heard on the phone didn't have an accent."

"Well, let's find this Dr. Sajorksy and then we'll go have a talk with Beckett," Espo suggested.

They had the doctor paged, and decided to go up to question Beckett while they were waiting for him. Kate was talking to her father when her team entered the room. "Hey, guys," she smiled.

"Gates sent us down here to get to the bottom of things," Ryan explained. "Beckett, we talked to everybody who was in the room when you were brought in. The only man in the room was the ER doc."

"Oh no," she groaned. "You guys have drunk the Kool-Aid, too?"

"What're you talking about?" Espo wanted to know.

"You're going to tell me that 'my mind is playing tricks on me,' 'Head injuries do things to your mind,' 'She sees a therapist, so she must be nuts.' Am I right?"

"Kate, we're just telling you what we've found through _police _work," Espo told her in a short voice.

"_If _they did the MRI, which they didn't, then why can't they find the results?"

"I don't know. Maybe the results were lost, maybe they were put on the back burner—"

"The back burner? Seriously, Javi? For all any of you knew, I could've broken my neck in that fall! Do you put test results on the back burner for a fucking broken neck?"

"Katie, you need to calm down," her father warned her. "Remember what the doctor told you about moving around too much."

"I just want somebody to believe me," tears trickled down her face as she angrily brushed them away. "I know what I heard. How many times do I have to say that?"

"Beckett, was somebody in there with you every single second? Could there have been a point where you were left alone?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know. I couldn't move my head. I was also drifting in and out. It's possible that everybody left, but I would doubt it. It was loud and it was frantic. I'd hear footsteps, and then I wouldn't hear anything. I don't know."

"Look Beckett, Gates isn't going to let us spend a whole lot of time on this. She doesn't see it as a priority. It's not a murder," Espo pointed out.

"Can you run the names of everybody who was in there with me?" She asked. "Maybe somebody's covering for the man on the phone. Please, Javi? I'm not crazy."

"Chica, nobody said that you were. You take it easy, and we'll take care of things on our end."

"Let's go talk to that ER doc," Ryan told his partner.

When they went back to the ER, one of the nurses told them that Dr. Sajorsky hadn't returned to the ER. "Why do I get the feeling this douche is avoiding us?" Espo looked at his partner.

"Probably because he is. Let's call Gates and let her know what's going on."

***CCC***

Morning rush was awful as Castle drove his Ferrari back toward the loft. His mind was on Kate and what was going on in her head. He knew that she wasn't crazy, but there had to be a reasonable explanation, didn't there? He knew that he was the one always thinking of little green men and JFK-style conspiracy theories, but he had to admit that everything Dr. Sajorsky had told Kate made perfect sense.

He'd had concussions on a couple of occasions. He knew what they had done to his brain. Kate had been on edge since she'd been assigned the task of protecting the man who'd ordered the murder of her mother. She had been unconscious for more than five minutes after the fall. In the ride to the hospital, she'd been in and out, not making too much sense when she was awake. Anything was possible.

His pre-occupied brain didn't notice the SUV tailing him, getting closer and closer. The first jolt against his fender took him by surprise. He started to pull over, thinking it was a fender bender in the rush hour commute that was always Manhattan. But when the black SUV pulled up alongside him and he saw the window come down, he knew. He swerved hard as the bullets began flying. He dove into the seat as he lost control of the Ferrari, sending it into a nearby store front window.

***CCC***

"Mr. Castle, can you hear me?"Castle woke up to a bright light shining in his eyes. "Do you know where you are?"

"Hospital, I hope."

"Very good. You had a car accident. You have a slight concussion, a dislocated shoulder and some bumps and bruises. All in all, it's your lucky day."

"Yeah, except for the fact that I think someone's trying to kill me."

"Mr. Castle, it was an accident. A couple of your friends are here. They were already here when you were brought in. They are quite anxious to see you."

"Yeah, I bet they are."

Castle gave Ryan and Esposito a self-satisfied smirk when they walked in. "Bro, are you okay?"

"Except for the gunshots and my Ferrari being totaled, yeah, I'm great," he grimaced as he tried to sit up.

"Did you get a look at the vehicle that ran you off of the road?" Ryan asked.

"Uh, did you miss the part about me being shot at?"

"We heard you. Vehicle first," Espo told him.

"It was a black SUV. Seriously, why are they always black SUV's? Is that like rule number one in the assassin's handbook? 'Assassin's vehicle must always be a black SUV.' Does Beckett know?"

"Not yet. You said that it was black. What about make and model?"

"I don't know. I was too busy ducking for cover. It was a Tahoe or an Escalade."

"Did you get a look at the shooter?"

"No," Castle winced as the doctor slipped a sling over his injured arm. "He was wearing a dark mask and brandishing a really big gun. Maybe an AR-15. I can't protect her if I'm laid up, too."

"You got that half right, bro. You also can't protect her if you're also a target," Espo reminded him.

"You'd better go and tell her."

***CCC***

"Do you believe me now?" Kate shouted at them from her bed as her father desperately tried to get her to calm down. "Is he okay?"

"He's better off than his Ferrari is," Ryan tried to lighten the mood.

"He can buy a new car! Is he okay?" She repeated.

"Yeah. A concussion, bumps, bruises, and a dislocated shoulder. He's going to be okay. Beckett, we've got a problem," Espo told her. "If this is Bracken's doing, we need to bring Gates into the loop."

"If you do that, then you have to tell her about—" she glanced at her father, realizing that she'd almost revealed more than she wanted to. "Just be careful."

Ryan's cell phone rang. "Ryan! What? Where? We'll be right there," he hung up and looked at Espo. "We have to go."

"What's going on?" Kate asked. "Kevin?"

"They found Dr. Sajorsky," he told his boss. "In a stairwell with his throat slit from ear to ear."

"Well, you've got your dead body. Maybe now Gates will let you stay."

**A/N: My evilness knows no bounds. This chapter was fun to write. Please read and review.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960.**


	5. Chapter 5--Bad Ass Detective with an IV

**Disclaimers: No, Andrew Marlowe doesn't need my help. Neither does ABC Studios.**

**Summary: Plans are made to try to keep Castle and Beckett safe while the boys and Capt. Gates begin the investigation into Dr. Sajorsky's murder.**

**A/N #1: This chapter is going to go AU because Kate is going to tell Capt. Gates about Sen. Bracken, her mother's murder, and what it means in terms of what happened to her and Castle.**

**A/N #2: I have had reviewers who don't like certain aspects of this story. While I respect your opinion, if you have a problem with the story, please send me a review by private message. **

Chapter 5: Bad Ass Detective with an IV Stand

"Cause of death is exsanginuation. Both your victims' carotid artery and jugular vein were severed," Lanie told the two detectives. "He also has defensive wounds on his hands and arms."

"So, he fought back?" Espo guessed.

"That would be my guess."

"Do you have a time of death?" Ryan asked.

"Judging on liver temp, I'd say within the last hour. He's not in full rigor, yet. I'll know more when I get him to the lab. How are Beckett and Castle?"

"Right now, Castle has a hell of a headache. Beckett's upset because she's convinced that everybody thinks that she's crazy."

"Well, I'd say this proves that she's perfectly sane. I'll call you boys as soon as I know anything."

"Thanks, Lanie," Espo thanked her as they left the stairwell where they met up with Capt. Gates.

"So, do you think the good doctor was killed because someone thought that he was talking?" Gates asking, cutting right to the chase.

"He was killed almost immediately after we talked to him, so yeah, that would be our guess," Ryan looked at Espo, who nodded in agreement.

"That means someone was probably watching him. Okay, go back to the precinct and run the names of everybody who was in that room with Beckett. I'm going to go upstairs and talk to her."

Upstairs, Kate was on pins and needles waiting for Castle to come back up. She had a pounding headache, which the doctor had told her was a result of her increased anxiety. She breathed a huge sigh of relief when her door opened and Castle stepped in. He had a large bandage over one eye and his eye was beginning to blacken. He also had a sling over one arm to support the dislocation. "Are you okay?" Her breath caught on a sob as he walked over and cradled her with his free arm. "I've been so worried since the boys told me. Castle, they killed Dr. Sajorsky."

"What? When?"

"I don't know. The boys are investigating it now. It must've happened about the same time as your accident. Castle, someone's watching all of us. I can feel it."

"Kate—"

"Castle, no! We're not safe here. Not any of us. Not you, or me, Martha, Alexis," she dropped her voice down to a whisper before pulling his ear close to her mouth. "You should send them out of town."

"I will," he sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand in his free one. "I don't understand why he's doing this, Kate. If he is, I mean. You saved his life. You'd think the asshole would at least be grateful, not send more of his goon squad after you."

"I'm also a liability to him. He knows that I know what he is. And you know because of me. So, that makes you a liability, too. Castle, I never meant to drag you into all of this—"

"No. Shh," he put his finger to her lips. "We're going to get him, Kate. I don't know how and I don't know when, but we're going to get him."

"Get who, Mr. Castle?" They heard the voice of Capt. Gates from the doorway. "Who are you going to get, Mr. Castle?"

"The person who did this," Castle said, looking at Kate.

"Tell me about this man that you heard on the phone," Gates came to the end of the bed and stood there.

"You believe me?"

"Det. Beckett, a doctor is dead barely an hour after he talked to detectives about your assault. So yes, I believe you. So, tell me about the man on the phone."

"I couldn't see anything. I was flat on my back with a brace on my neck. I think that I drifted asleep, because I heard a man's voice when I woke up. He said, 'Cancel the MRI. It's not going to be necessary.' I just thought it meant that I wasn't hurt as badly as they'd thought that I was. They took me to get x-rays right after that."

"You said that it was an unaccented voice. Was the man tall? Short?"

"I don't know. His voice was above me, but not way above me. Captain, Castle and I are sitting ducks in this hospital."

"I know. Let me work on that. Mr. Castle, can I please speak to Det. Beckett alone for a few moments?"

"I'll go out in the hall and search for assassins," he teased.

"Not funny, Castle."

"Come on, it was a _little _funny."

She just rolled her eyes as Castle got up and left the room. Capt. Gates took his abandoned chair. "Detective, as a police officer, I've made more than my fair share of enemies over the years. Especially after I moved to Internal Affairs. Why do I get the feeling that there's much more to this story than I'm being told? Angel Mendoza is a low level meth dealer. His attack on you was a means of escape and nothing further. Why does somebody want you dead? And more importantly, do you know who that someone is?"

Kate watched the woman sitting at her bedside and wondered just how much she should tell her. How much could she be trusted? At one time, she had trusted Capt. Roy Montgomery and look where that had gotten her. Three men had tried to come after her to stop what she'd learned about her mother's murder. The first man, Dick Coonan, had been killed by her in the precinct when he'd taken Castle hostage. The second man, Hal Lockwood, had been killed by Capt. Montgomery on the floor of an airplane hangar in New Jersey. Roy had killed Lockwood to save Kate's life. But it hadn't worked.

The third man, Cole Maddox, had been killed in an explosion while being hunted by Kate and Castle while she was on suspension. That was when they'd learned about the dragon, aka Sen. William Bracken. It was apparent that even after saving his life a few months before, he was once again trying to take her out of the picture.

"It has to do with what happened to my mother," Kate finally said.

"With her murder?" The captain clarified as Kate nodded.

"Castle got very nosy, even after I asked him not to."

"I'd expect as much from Mr. Castle," the captain scoffed.

"Anyway, he gave my mother's autopsy photos to a forensics friend of his. He found a connection between my mother's murder and two other murders. Then we got a body with the same types of wounds. That led us to a man named Dick Coonan."

"The man that you shot and killed in the precinct. I read about it."

"There were two other men after that. One of them was killed by Roy Montgomery and the third was the man who died while I was on suspension."

"The man who died in the building that you, Castle, and Esposito just happened to be walking by when it exploded?" Gates folded her arms over her chest as Kate hid a small smile.

"Yes, sir."

"Let me ask you a question, detective. If I were to start investigating this independently, would I like where it leads?"

"No sir, you wouldn't."

"So, we need to find out where all of these men came from."

"Sir, we know who sent these men and he's untouchable."

"Detective, nobody is untouchable."

"This man is. It's Senator William Bracken."

"Sen. Bracken? Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir. There was a group of corrupt cops that were kidnapping mobsters for ransom. Bracken took the money in exchange for not revealing who any of the cops were. That money is how he became a senator. We were able to trace the money to an account in his name."

"That explains the tension between the two of you when you had to protect him. I wish you had said something to me, detective. I know that I'm not Roy Montgomery, but I'm always willing to listen. Do you know how long you're going to be laid up?"

"No. They're going to do another MRI the day after tomorrow to see if the swelling has gone down. I should know more after that."

"I'll see about getting some guards outside of your room."

"Thank you, sir."

As soon as the captain left, Castle re-entered the room. She edged over on her bed and patted the seat beside her. He walked over and curled up beside her, nestling her against his shoulder. "I wish I'd never asked Esposito for that file," he whispered into her hair.

"Castle, it is what it is. We can't change it now."

Castle's cell rang. "Alexis? Stop! I'm fine. I'm a little banged up, but I'll be all right. Where are you? Okay, I want you to listen to me. I don't want you opening the door to anybody but me or gram. I'll explain everything when I come home. If I send anybody else, I'll call and let you know. I love you, too."

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's just worried about me. I need to go home and let them know what's going on."

"Don't go home alone, Castle. He's bound to know by now that he failed."

"I'll see if one of the boys is free," he kissed her forehead. "Get some sleep."

"I told Gates, Castle. I told her about Bracken."

"Did you tell her all of it?"

"No, but I think she knows that Roy was involved. She agreed a while back that she wasn't going to investigate him. I feel better knowing that we're not hiding things from her any longer."

"Me, too," he smiled. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

He helped her get settled on her pillow as she closed her eyes. "Please be careful," she mumbled sleepily.

"I will. I'll be back soon," he kissed her again.

***CCC***

Alexis was pacing the living room of the loft while her grandmother sat on the couch watching her. "Alexis, your father told you that he was fine."

"He also told me _not _to open the door to anybody but you or him! What's going on? First Kate and now dad. Is somebody trying to hurt them?"

"Alexis, I'm sure that your father will explain everything when he gets here."

She jumped a foot in the air when the doorbell rang. "Alexis, it's me," she heard her father call out before she opened the door to him and Det. Ryan. She was shocked to see his black eye and the sling on his arm. "I'm fine, pumpkin. But, I need for you and your grandmother to go to the house in the Hamptons and stay there until I tell you it's safe for you to come home."

"Richard, what's going on? Please tell me it's not another bomb."

"No, it's nothing like that. There are two plain clothes officers waiting in the hallway. They will accompany you to the house and they'll stay there with you. Hopefully it'll just be for a few days."

"Daddy, what about you and Kate?"

"Kate can't be moved right now, so I'm going to stay with her. I'll stay in constant touch," he kissed the top of Alexis' head. "But right now, you need to throw some things together and go."

***CCC***

At the precinct, Esposito was running the names of the staff that'd been with Beckett after her injury. He was beginning to go cross-eyed when his cell phone rang. "Esposito!"

"Espo, its Lanie. I've got something."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Lanie was waiting for him when he walked into the morgue. "I heard that Castle had an accident of his own this morning. Or was it an accident?"

"It's better right now if you don't know. What've you got?"

"Dr. Sajorsky's throat was slit with a serrated blade, similar to the one that Dick Coonan used to kill Beckett's mother."

"So, the killer's another special forces guy?" Espo guessed, staring at the body on Lanie's table.

"It looks that way. Javi, are they connected? Is Bracken behind this?"

"We don't know," he lied.

"How's Kate?"

"Sore, angry. Typical Beckett."

"Javi, if somebody working in that hospital is trying to kill her and Castle, they're not going to be safe."

"I know. I think the captain is working on a plan to keep them safe. Did you find anything else?"

"No, just what I discovered about the weapon. I'll let you know if I find anything else."

"Okay."

"Javi?" He turned to look at her. "Please be careful."

"I will."

***CCC***

When Castle walked down the hall toward Kate's room, he noticed the guard stationed outside. "Hey, Castle," the guard greeted him.

"Hey, Simmons," Castle greeted the guard.

He was surprised when he entered the room to find Kate sitting in a chair, her IV on a portable stand at her side. "I'm bored out of my mind, Castle," she complained when he walked over and kissed her.

"Should you be out of bed?"

"Dr. Herrera came in, had me push on him with my hands and feet, and then decided that I've improved enough to get out of bed for a little while. Did you send Alexis and Martha out of town?"

"Yeah, with armed escorts. Kate, we're not safe here."

"I know. I told you that I was never going to be safe," she repeated the words that she'd said right after they'd started sleeping together. "Have you talked to the boys?"

"No. Ryan gave me a ride to the loft, but he didn't say anything about the investigation. Is your dad still here?"

"No, I told him that I didn't need him here to hold my hand. That's what I have you for," she smiled. "So, any ideas on where we can go to be safe?"

"Well, I do have property on the moon," he said as she rolled her eyes. "Too far away?"

"You're half right."

"I don't know where we'll go. Are you going to be able to travel?"

"I'm going to have to. Because I'm not staying here. We could go to my dad's cabin, but then we'll be stuck in the middle of nowhere like sitting ducks. The same goes for the Hamptons."

"We could always go five-star," he told her as she looked intrigued. "The 4 Seasons or The Plaza. We could order room service and watch the sun rise."

"Okay, Wyatt Earp. You're not watching 'Tombstone' ever again."

"But, it's not the worst idea you've ever heard from me, is it?"

"No, it's not," she agreed. "I'll run it by Gates."

"You'd also better run it by your doctors."

"I'm not staying here, Castle. After all, they say it's not truly paranoia if someone _really_ is out to get you."

"Okay, Det. Beckett," a nurse entered the room with an orderly. "Dr. Herrera says it's time to get back into bed."

Kate sighed as the nurse and orderly helped her back into bed and covered her with her blanket. "Castle, get me out of here," she hissed at him.

***CCC***

"Where are we with the staff that was with Det. Beckett?" Gates asked, walking into the bull pen and over to Ryan and Esposito, who were doing searches on their computers.

"Still searching," Ryan said.

"Same here. Dr. Parish said that the knife used to kill Dr. Sajorsky was a serrated knife similar to those used by the military."

"So, the killer is highly trained?" Gates asked.

"Well, military trained, anyway. Highly trained remains to be seen," Espo said.

"Okay, Kate is threatening to leave the hospital AMA unless somebody comes up with a backup plan," Castle announced, stepping off of the elevator. "Bracken has sent people out of the woodwork in an attempt to kill her for the past four years. He's going to keep sending soldiers until one of them succeeds or until he's stopped."

"Mr. Castle, I'm working on sending the two of you to a safe house now. It's just going to take a little while longer."

"Meanwhile, Beckett's anxiety level is going through the roof because she can't defend herself! Do you really think Simmons is going to be a match for whatever Bracken throws at her? Because I can tell you that he's not."

***CCC***

"Did you have any trouble getting guard duty?"

"I volunteered for the first shift. Nobody suspects anything."

"Good," the nurse nodded before entering Beckett's room. "I'm here to change your IV, detective."

An already wary Kate watched as the male nurse began replacing the almost empty IV bag to hang a fresh one. Her mind flashed back to two days before and the voice that she'd heard on the phone. "How long have you been a nurse?" She asked, carefully checking out her would-be assassin.

"Six years."

Her eyes traveled to his waist and the noticeable bulge under his tunic. She didn't know too many nurses who wore knives on the job. Her heart began to pound as she reached for the call button at her side, pressing it three times, her signal that she was in trouble. She then grasped the middle of the IV pole and checked the weight of it. In her weakened state, she couldn't grasp it as tightly as she normally could, but right now the element of surprise was on her side.

At the nurses' station, the buzzer rang for Kate's room. "Call the 12th precinct!" The on-duty nurse shouted to her colleague. "Get some orderlies to Room 624! Stat!"

Three orderlies raced toward Kate's room, hearing the crashing and shouting before they ever reached the room. "Son of a bitch! Did Bracken fucking send you?" Kate was bashing her IV pole over the head of the nurse, who was fighting back. "Were you the one who tried to kill my partner? Did you kill Dr. Sajorsky?"

Two of the orderlies grabbed the nurse who swung at them with his knife, slicing the arm of one of them before the other grabbed him in a choke hold. "Det. Beckett, your people are on their way," a nurse ran into the room. "Are you okay?"

"I tore my IV out," Kate stammered as she looked at the blood that was trickling down her hand. "Right now, I really don't feel very good."

The nurse ran over to the phone and paged Dr. Herrera before helping Kate down to her bed and applying pressure to the wound on her hand. "The doctor will be here soon."

"Where's my guard?" Kate asked, as the room began to spin crazily. What in the hell had he put in her IV? She felt so weak and dizzy.

"I don't know. He wasn't there when we came in."

"Shit," Kate said under her breath. "He's in on it. He—" she pointed at the nurse who was still being held by the big, burly orderly. "He put something in my IV."

Suddenly the door burst opened and the room seemed to be full of cops. At least that's what it looked like through the double vision that Kate was experiencing. Ryan and Esposito were quick to take the murderous nurse off of the orderly's hands as Castle rushed up to Kate, embracing her as tightly as he could with his uninjured arm. "Are you okay?"

"Castle, he put something in my IV. Simmons is in on it. He wasn't by my door. You need to find him."

Dr. Herrera entered the room and ordered everybody out. "No, I'm not leaving," Castle declared stubbornly.

"Mr. Castle—"

"He's right," Gates interjected. "Until we know who we can and can't trust, Mr. Castle stays."

"Very well. Let's get this cut taken care of, shall we?" Dr. Herrera looked at Kate, who slowly nodded. "Nurse, let's do a blood draw and see what our friend here slipped into this IV."

"Right away, doctor."

"Ms. Beckett, describe what you're feeling."

"I'm dizzy," she swallowed thickly. "I'm seeing double. I feel nauseous."

"Okay, we're going to get you squared away. Believe me when I tell you that I'm one of the good guys."

"Doctor, forgive me for my skepticism, but I've known Officer Simmons for more than 10 years. Until today I thought that he was one of the good guys. Castle, I'm seeing two of you, but could one of you hold my hand?"

Out in the hallway, Espo was going through the nurses' wallet. "So, Christopher Gillis. Is this your real name?"

The man just smirked. "How long have you been on Bracken's payroll?" Ryan added. This just got the detectives another smirk. "Is Officer Simmons one of Bracken's clone army?"

"Just get me my lawyer."

***CCC***

When Kate opened her eyes again, the first thing she felt was Castle's hand resting on her upper thigh and his head was on her stomach. She could hear low snores coming from him and she smiled. She was so unbearable thirsty. She was about to ring for some water when she felt Castle stir. "Hey," he murmured sleepily, standing up and sitting on the edge of the bed. "How do you feel?"

"Thirsty," she said. He got up and poured some water into a cup, helping her to drink it. "Thank you. What did he put in my IV?"

"Diazepan. Luckily you yanked out your IV before too much of it got into your bloodstream." 

"Have they found Simmons, yet?"

"No. They've got an APB out on him. The airports, train stations, and bus stations have also been put on alert."

"Castle, he's just going to send someone else. We've got to hide."

"Sweetie, Gates is working on it."

"You must be really worried," she reached up and touched his face. "You're calling me pet names."

"I'm scared, Kate. I can't help wondering when this is ever going to end."

"It'll end when someone puts a bullet through Bracken's brain."

As Castle sat there beside Kate, he couldn't help but wonder how in the hell he could get in touch with Jackson Hunt. Then he shook his head at the morbid thought. As much as he wanted the threat to end, he knew that he couldn't stoop to the level of some of the idiots that he saw on those crime shows on the Investigation Discovery channel.

***CCC***

Back at the precinct, Christopher Gillis was sitting in a holding cell, refusing to talk without his attorney. Gates was sitting in her office, reading the jacket of Officer Daryl Simmons, shaking her head. He was a decorated officer for more than 10 years. When and why had he crossed to the dark side? She was still reading when her phone buzzed. "Gates! Send him up," she said as she hung up. She left her office and met Dr. Herrera, who was stepping off of the elevator. "Dr. Herrera, I'm Capt. Gates. I understand that you want to talk to me."

"Yes, I do," he answered in the affirmative as they stepped into Gates' office and she closed the door behind them. "I understand that Det. Beckett is having issues with whom she can and can't trust, which is understandable considering what's gone on in just the last few days. I don't feel completely comfortable with releasing her from the hospital. But I also realize that her staying there is the equivalent of hanging a flashing neon sign over her head, saying 'Kill me.' I have a large estate in Westchester County. It's gated and heavily guarded at all times. Right now, it's better if you don't know why that is. I also have several buddies who are former Navy Seals. They're about as bad ass as they come, except for a certain detective who beat the shit out of a nurse with an IV stand," he smiled as Capt. Gates couldn't help but smile back. "My point is, Det. Beckett and Mr. Castle will be safe there until you find all of the actors in this little drama."

"Dr. Herrera, I appreciate the offer, and I think that the fewer people who know about this, the better off we're all going to be."

"I agree."

"Let's put this in motion then, shall we?" She stood up and shook the doctor's hand.

Now that they had the semblance of a plan, Capt. Gates just hoped that it wouldn't be a hard sell for Beckett. She knew that Mr. Castle would agree to it. He'd agree to anything to keep his partner/girlfriend safe. However, she knew how hard-headed her lead detective was. It was hard for her to sit on her hands and let everybody do the heavy lifting for her. But this time she wasn't going to have a choice.

**A/N #3: 'Tombstone' is one my favorite movies, thus the reference.**

**A/N #4: The next chapter, we move from the hospital to affluent Westchester County.**

**A/N #5: I free write, so I welcome suggestions as to why the now mysterious Dr. Herrera resides in a gated compound. **

**Please read and review. I can be found on Twitter Castkett1960.**


	6. Chapter 6--More Searching

**Disclaimers: 'Castle' belongs to Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC Studios. I'm just playing with his creations. **

**Summary: Beckett and Castle move to safer surroundings, which are just as shrouded in mystery as what's going on in their own lives. Sometimes I suck at summaries. This chapter is M rated, because Kate decides that she just can't wait any longer.**

**A/N #1: I learned that Westchester County is the fifth most affluent county in New York and the 47****th**** in the U.S. Interesting what you can find while doing research. My boyfriend is a native New Yorker, and he was the one who suggested the setting. Thanks, Chuck.**

**A/N #2: Thanks to the reviewer who asked me if Officer Simmons is related to Vulcan Simmons, the guy that Kate smashed into the one-way mirror in episode 3x13 'Knockdown.' I hadn't thought of going in that direction, but I'm going to see where it leads.**

Chapter 6: The Search for Answers

"Are your mother and daughter safe, Mr. Castle?" Capt. Gates asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Mr. Castle, its imperative that until we bring this to an end, that you limit contact with them. The people behind this have already proven that they're highly skilled. They'll use the GPS in your cell phone to find them, if they haven't already."

"Have you found a place for me and Beckett?"

"We're finalizing that now. As a matter of fact, we'll probably move your mother and daughter to the same place."

"Is that wise?"

"Mr. Castle, I've seen surveillance photos of where we're sending you. Outside of a fortress, I don't think you're going to be much safer."

"When is this happening?"

"According to her doctor, Det. Beckett won't be able to leave until tomorrow at the very earliest. Don't worry about the details right now, Mr. Castle. We've got everything under control."

Under control? Was she kidding? Nothing had been 'under control' since Kate had been assaulted five days before. Officer Daryl Simmons was still on the run, the fake nurse who'd tried to kill Kate in her room was at Riker's, still not talking. Kate now had two new guards standing outside of her room, big guys who looked like linebackers for the Giants. They didn't talk much. Castle felt like tossing them hunks of raw meat every time he came back to the hospital to be with Kate.

In light of everything that had happened, he refused to leave her side. It drove the hospital staff crazy, but Gates and Dr. Herrera had said to leave him be.

Castle found himself wondering about Dr. Herrera. He thought that the neurologist had a crush on his girlfriend. He didn't blame him because after all, Kate was gorgeous. But she'd also already gone the doctor route in terms of relationships. Now she was strictly a one-writer girl. But he often heard her laughing with the doctor when he came in to assess her condition.

That was the sound that he heard when he walked into Kate's room that afternoon. He felt a twinge of jealousy when he noticed the doctor and Kate laughing as he tested her strength. "Hey, Castle," Kate smiled at him.

"So, how's she doing?" Castle asked.

"I'm going to do an MRI in the morning, but I think that you're almost back to normal."

"That's the best news I've heard in a while," she continued smiling. "I can't wait to blow this joint."

"Come on," Dr. Herrera teased. "Don't tell me that my company has been that bad."

Kate didn't miss the sudden glare that crossed Castle's face. "Uh, what time are you doing the MRI?"

"First thing," he suggested as Kate nodded and settled down in her sheets, reaching for Castle's hand. Making sure that Dr. Herrera _saw _her reaching for Castle's hand. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Don't be jealous, Castle," she rubbed his hand after the doctor left. "One writer girl, remember?"

"I just can't help noticing that he's a doctor and he's not bad looking."

"But, he's not ruggedly handsome," she pulled his head closer to her as they kissed. "God, I want to fool around, Castle."

"Soon," he mumbled against her mouth. "As soon as you get out of here, we'll pull an all-nighter."

"Uh-uh. Now, Castle," she slid his hand up under her hospital gown to her bare breast. "We can be very quiet."

"As much as I want you, quiet isn't going to be possible," he forcibly pulled away from her. "Gates said that they're going to be moving us in the next day or two. _All _of us."

"They're moving Martha and Alexis, too?"

"According to Gates, outside of a fortress this is going to be about as safe a place as it gets."

"Have they found Simmons? Has that nurse started talking?" She bit her lip when Castle didn't answer her. "Then 'safe' is an oxymoron. I hate feeling like I'm sitting on my hands, Castle. I'm used to being out there and kicking ass. Being taken care of makes me crazy."

"I know. But until you're 100 percent, you're going to have to let people take care of you. It's not going to be forever."

"Castle, I beat the shit out of one of them when I could barely stand on my feet. I think I can take care of myself."

Castle smiled as he reached for her, pulling her against his chest. More than anybody, he knew how much she hated being treated like a girl. She was used to being a take no prisoners, bad ass detective in her four inch heels. She had no patience for being perceived as weak. While he loved that side of her, there were times when he wished that she'd let him take care of her just a little. "Maybe they'll send us some place with a gym so that you can work on your kickboxing skills."

"That would be nice," she agreed as she rubbed his back. "I just want to go somewhere so that we can fuck each other's brains out. I can't ever remember being this horny."

"Me, either," he told her as they both started laughing. "Not even when I was 17 and was getting hard every five seconds."

***CCC***

"Hello?" Sen. Bracken answered his phone to an unknown number.

"Sen. Bracken, we need to have a meet."

"Who is this?"

"It doesn't matter who I am. We have a mutual person in common that we need to discuss."

"Why should I meet and discuss anyone with you when I don't even know who you are?"

"Let's just say that I have enough on you right now to make it advantageous that we meet. I have contacts at **The Washington Post, 'The New York Times,' **and **'The Wall Street Journal.'** If you want to know more about me, ask around the underground for an incident that happened in Paris in February of last year."

With that, the call ended. Bracken dialed another number. "I need for you to find out what you can about anything unusual that occurred in Paris in February of last year. Call me as soon as you find out anything. I don't care how trivial it might seem."

***CCC***

"Just relax, detective. You're almost done," Kate could hear Dr. Herrera's voice through a speaker inside of the MRI tube. "The injury appears to be about 75 percent resolved, which is great news. I think that your captain can finalize the plans to move you and Mr. Castle."

Kate couldn't answer. It was all that she could do not to jump off of the table and flee from this science fiction type machine that she could hear humming all around her. Finally she felt herself being reversed and removed from the machine as she took a deep breath. "Can I start exercising?"

"What kind of exercises are you talking about?"

"Yoga, kickboxing, Tae Kwon Do."

"I think light yoga would be all right, but you might want to wait before you do everything else."

"What about sex?"

"Oh, never with my patients," he teased as she rolled her eyes. "Sure, as long as you're not too vigorous."

Kate felt like throwing something at the doctor. There were occasions when she and Castle both liked things a little on the rougher side. Oh well, slow sex was better than what she was getting now, she supposed.

When the orderly took her back to her room accompanied by one of her guards, she found Gates, the boys, and Castle all waiting for her. "What's going on?" She looked at her boss and the members of her team as the orderly helped her into bed.

"We're moving you and Mr. Castle tonight. We're not giving you a specific time for security reasons. I'm also not disclosing the location until you're moved. But, I do have some photographs."

Gates unrolled several large scale photographs on Kate's bed as she looked at Castle. "I don't understand. Whose estate is this?"

"Det. Beckett, right now the less you know the better. You will have excellent security."

"Trust us on this one, chica," Espo told her. "Only the president has better security than what you guys are gonna have."

"Special Forces?" Castle asked.

"Better."

"Who arranged all of this?" Kate asked. "I know that the NYPD isn't about to spring for something like this."

"Let's just say that it's one of the good guys," Ryan told them.

Kate remembered when she'd beat the hell out of the nurse and Dr. Herrera had told her that he was one of the 'good guys.' "It beats The Four Seasons all to hell," Castle told her.

"Has there been any word on Simmons?"

"He's in the wind," Espo told her. "We figure Bracken has him hid out somewhere."

"Or, he's outlived his usefulness," Kate looked at the four people in the room.

"How was the MRI?" Castle wanted to know.

"Uh, he said that the swelling is about 75 percent resolved."

"That's good news, detective," Gates told her as her and the boys got up the leave. "Be ready to leave at a moment's notice tonight."

"Why do I feel like we're entering WIT-SEC?" Kate asked Castle after they'd all left.

"It feels like spy games to me," he rubbed his hands in delight as she just rolled her eyes.

"You're such a child," she kissed him. "Hey, I've been cleared for sex. Do you think we can fool around once we get moved?"

"Are you kidding? You don't even have to ask."

That evening Kate changed into a sweatshirt and a pair of yoga pants. "I don't want to go to wherever we're going dressed in this," she gestured to her hospital gown.

"What's the matter, Beckett? The backless look doesn't suit you?" He teased.

The door opened and Dr. Herrera stepped in, carrying paperwork. "I've brought your discharge papers and your after care instructions. While the swelling is resolving itself, that's no excuse for you to start kicking ass," he handed her the papers as she scrawled her name on them. "I'll make arrangements to see you in about a week. Hopefully, you'll be back to your own home by then."

"So, why does a neurologist live in an armed fortress?" He gave her a puzzled look. "It was something that you said about being one of the good guys. I'm a detective, remember?"

"Det. Beckett, the less that you know about my life outside of this hospital, the better. The house actually belonged to my late father; I just made adjustments to it. You'll be safe there."

"Thank you, doctor," she thanked him as he turned and left the room. She smiled at the look on Castle's face. "Okay, Mr. Conspiracy Theory, what are your theories on what the good doctor is?"

"Oh, I don't know. He could be a mobster, or CIA. He has a crush on you."

"Come on, Castle."

"I don't blame him, but I can't help being a little jealous," he kissed her.

It was after dark when Gates announced that they were being moved. They were both moved in a black SUV with dark tinted windows. The two men in the front seat didn't say anything during the long ride. Kate held tightly onto Castle's hand as she tried to see anything outside of the dark windows. If she wasn't so frightened, she'd be able to see this as an adventure. But there was nothing adventurous about a highly connected man trying to kill you and the people you loved. She just wanted this to be over. She wanted her old life back. She wanted a life that she could share with Castle without the two of them having to look over their shoulders for the rest of their lives.

***CCC***

"So, did you ask around?" The voice on the phone asked.

"All my sources were able to find was that an escaped Russian prisoner named Volkov was killed in a house in the middle of Paris. The murder hasn't been solved. Are you telling me that was you?" Bracken asked.

"Could be."

"You said that we have a mutual person in common. Might I ask who that is?"

"No, you may not. I'll meet you outside of The Jefferson Memorial at midnight tonight."

Before Bracken had a chance to argue, the connection was broken.

***CCC***

The car ride lasted about two hours before they pulled up to a guardhouse where the driver had to give the guard everything but a DNA sample and his first born child before they were finally waved inside. Kate unbuckled her seat belt and sat up so that she could look out of the front windshield. The house was massive. All she could see was lights coming from the windows and acres of lawn.

The car stopped in front of the house and the man in the passenger seat got out before opening the door for Castle and Beckett. They both stopped and stared at the brick façade. It was hard to see anything in the dark, so they both made it a point to do some exploring the next morning as soon as it was light enough to see. The man from the car walked ahead of them and up to the front door, where he knocked three times before the door was opened by another man, who like the two from the car, was heavily armed and had a radio receiver on his shoulder.

"Daddy!" Castle was thrilled to see Alexis, who threw herself at her father, despite his still sore shoulder.

"Hi, pumpkin," Castle held and kissed her. "Where's gram?"

"Richard, Katherine," as if on cue, Martha came out of the den. She hugged both her son and his girlfriend. "I'm so glad to see the both of you."

"We're glad to see you two, also," Rick hugged his mother. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Avery, but he doesn't talk much."

"Seems to be a pattern," Rick turned and glanced at the man who was standing as still as a statue behind him and Kate. "I'm going to put our things away."

"The first room at the top of the stairs is the master bedroom. Alexis and I thought that you and Kate would want that room."

"Thanks, mother," Rick took their two small bags and went upstairs.

"Kate, you must be tired and hungry. There are some sandwiches in the living room," Martha took Kate's arm and guided her toward the living room as the man from the SUV followed them. "He must be your bodyguard."

"My bodyguard? Seriously?" Kate looked at the man. While she used to go for the strong, silent type, this was ridiculous.

"Everything will be explained when Mr. Castle returns," the man finally spoke.

"Kate, would you like something to drink?" Alexis asked as Castle came into the room.

"Some iced water would be great. With some lemon," Kate added.

"Dad?"

"The same, minus the fruit," Rick said, sitting beside Kate and taking her hand.

Alexis brought the drinks over before sitting down. The front doors opened and the driver walked into the room. "The first thing we need to do is take your cell phones," the driver told them. "It's for your safety and ours. You'll get them back when this is all over."

The four adults handed their phones over to the driver, who turned them off and stashed them. "The only rule that you need to remember is you don't go anywhere on the property without letting one of us know. We go everywhere you go at all times, no questions asked. This is non-negotiable. While this house is well secured, nothing is 100 percent. Are we clear on the rules?"

Kate was tired and she just wanted to be with Castle. "Fine," she ran a hand through her hair. "Do you guys at least have names?"

"It's better if you don't know our names."

"Look, I'd like to be able to call you something other than 'Hey You.'" 

"You can call me Justin," the driver told her.

"Martin," the other man said.

"Well, forgive me for not wanting to continue with this enlightening conversation, but I'm really tired. Castle, take me to bed. Uh, you guys aren't going to follow us up there, are you?" She asked sarcastically.

"No, ma'am," the man named Martin at least had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Goodnight." She left the room while Castle stayed behind long enough to kiss his daughter goodnight. When he entered the bedroom, Kate was sitting with her back against the wall, shaking and fighting tears. "I hate this, Castle! I hate not being in control!"

"I know," he slid down the wall beside her and drew her against his shoulder. "Kate, I think these guys are Navy Seals. Or maybe even Delta force. Those guys have to be on the DL about their identities. Remember those guys who took down Bin Laden? They can't even reveal who they are. I saw them on '60 Minutes.' But, they're the best there is."

"I know that, Castle. So, is the bathroom as nice as the one in the loft?"

"Probably not, but let's find out," he stood up and helped her to her feet before they walked to the bathroom, which left them both speechless.

"Castle, you have to make a bid on this place."

Kate loved the huge bathtub in the loft. It was her favorite place in the loft. But this one made that one look like a bathroom sink. It was sunk into the floor and you had to walk down a couple of steps into it, like a small swimming pool. "It's like a Japanese bathtub," Castle told her.

"I don't care what it's like. Get your clothes off, Castle."

He slipped the sling over his shoulder and placed it on the vanity before he stripped out of his clothes. He then turned to Kate and began slowly undressing her. She noticed him stirring to life at the sight of her naked before him for the first time in almost a week. He groaned when she reached down to wrap her hand around him. "Maybe we should get in the tub," he suggested, going down the steps and reaching for her to help her into the tub with him.

As the tub filled around them, they wrapped themselves around each other, their mouths seeking and exploring each other. She gasped when he reached around her to pull her closer. "Still a little sore in places, Castle."

"Same here," he bent down to suck on the pressure point on her neck. "You taste so damn good."

"So do you," she kissed down his jaw and throat, gently nipping at his skin.

She splayed her hands over his chest, feeling his muscles ripple under her fingers. She gave him a bright smile before he covered her mouth with his own, his tongue exploring the inside of her mouth as she moaned. She pressed closer to him as the kiss continued. He finally broke away from her mouth and lifted her up so that he could tease her breasts with his lips and tongue.

She could feel the warm water lapping at her waist and noticed that the tub was almost completely full. "Castle, the water," she warned him as he reluctantly released her and turned off the water before it overflowed. He then returned his attention to her breasts. The ache between her legs was becoming unbearable. She impatiently tugged one of his hands from around her waist and guided it lower.

"Fuck, you're so wet," he mumbled against her breast as she spread her legs further to give him better access. She cried out when his thumb brushed against the swollen bundle of nerves between her legs. She reached down for him, guiding him to her entrance as she sank down onto him, sighing at the feeling of him filling her. "Kate," he breathed against her breast as she began to move on him.

They moved against each other as the water sloshed over the edge of the tub, disappearing down a drain in the middle of the floor. Their mouths hungrily found each other as they made the fast climb toward ecstasy. "Oh god, Castle!" Kate cried out against his mouth as her muscles tightened and fluttered around him.

Castle grabbed her around the waist and thrust into her hard before he spilled into her. He held her when she collapsed onto his shoulder, breathing hard against his neck. "I've missed this," he whispered into her skin.

"Me, too. Are you still up for an all-nighter?"

"I'm just getting started," she pulled back to find him grinning at her. "I'm going to take you into that bedroom, and start kissing you here," he touched the top of her head, "and I'm not going to stop until I've tasted every last inch of you."

"So, what're we waiting for?" She bit her lip as she moved off of his lap.

***CCC***

"Son of a bitch!" Espo jumped a foot in the air at the expletive from his partner. "How in the hell did we miss this?"

"What's wrong, bro?"

"Check it out. The background check just came back on Daryl Simmons. His brother is Vulcan Simmons. I'm gonna let Gates know."

Capt. Gates was on her computer when Ryan and Esposito stepped into her office. "Who's Vulcan Simmons?" She asked after Ryan showed her the computer printout.

"He's a drug dealer in Washington Heights. Beckett brought him in after the murder of Det. Raglan. We thought he was a suspect in his death. Beckett's mother and her colleagues were trying to get the drugs out of Washington Heights. We thought he was the one who ordered the hit on her mother until we found out about Bracken."

"Is it possible that he's working for Bracken?"

"I don't know, but it's likely that he's hiding his brother," Ryan answered.

"Get a warrant and get to Simmons' residence," she ordered them. "If he resists, arrest his ass."

***CCC***

Bracken checked his watch as he stood outside The Jefferson Memorial in the April night, feeling like an idiot. "It's good to see that you keep appointments, Senator," he heard a voice behind him. "Don't turn around," the voice warned when Bracken started to look behind him.

"Who are you?"

"I told you. I'm someone that shares a common interest with you. Only I want to keep her alive, while you clearly have another agenda."

"She's dangerous to me."

"She's not nearly as dangerous to you as I am. She saved your life a few months ago."

"She also told me that it doesn't change anything. So, how do you know her?"

"I never said that I did. I'm going to say this once, Sen. Bracken. It would be in your best interest if you called off your goons."

"And, if I don't?"

Bracken felt his face go pale when he heard his voice repeated in the night. Words that he'd said years before. "I've already made copies for every major TV station and newspaper in the country. As well as the Internet. You have 12 hours, Senator. I'll be in touch. If I don't hear from you by noon today, I'm sending this recording out. Oh, and just so you know, it's not the only one that I have. I've got your voice sending out orders over the past 15 years. Your vendetta against Det. Beckett and Mr. Castle ends now."

When Bracken whipped around, nobody was there. He didn't even hear so much as a footstep walking away in the night. His career had depended on money gained through ill gotten means. His life in the Senate had been all about tying up loose ends. First Raglan, Montgomery, and finally McAllister. Kate Beckett was the last loose end. But, now a phantom had the means to take it all away. He had to put the final plans into motion. It was much sooner than he'd planned, but he had 12 hours before his life was ruined. If he was going down, he was taking Kate Beckett and that damn writer down with him.

**A/N #3: Okay, I'm going to apologize for my author's note in my previous chapter regarding reviewers. I was a little snarky. I got defensive because I felt like I was being second guessed. **

**A/N #4: I also have a back story for Dr. Herrera which actually makes perfect sense. But thanks to The Putz913 and my unmuse Chuck for their suggestions regarding his past.**

**Please read and review. I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960.**


	7. Chapter 7--The Clock is Ticking

**Disclaimers: Just the story. Not the show.**

**Summary: Bracken begins a desperate search for Castle and Beckett before time runs out. Back to back M-rated chapters. Imagine that.**

**A/N #1: I want to thank RoninBlackwing for pointing out an oversight that I made regarding Coonan's victims. I overlooked the young man who was killed two months after Johanna Beckett's murder. Believe it or not, I have watched 'Sucker Punch' a number of times, so I don't know how I missed that. **

Chapter 7: The Clock is Ticking

Kate groaned as she woke up, pleasantly aching in places that hadn't pleasantly ached in several days. She curled up against the warm nakedness that was Richard Castle. Scooting up closer, she nuzzled her nose into his neck, breathing in the warm scent of him. They hadn't gone to sleep until a few hours before, but she woke up wanting more.

Castle woke up to the feeling of Kate's lips against his bare chest. He groaned as he felt her kissing her way lower. "Come here," he reached for her, pulling her back up his body. "Good morning."

"Good morning," she smiled against his mouth as they shared a long kiss. "I want to take a shower and come back to bed."

"Sounds good so far," he agreed.

"Then, I'm going to fuck your brains out," she whispered in his ear.

"Sounds even better," he grinned.

"Then we're going to cook up a way to ditch Seal Team Six and find a place to be alone, if you get my meaning."

"Oh, believe me, I get your meaning."

Martha was enjoying a cup of coffee when Kate came downstairs, her hair pulled into a messy bun on top of her head. "Good morning," Martha greeted her, watching her go over and pour two cups of coffee. "Is Richard still upstairs?"

"He's getting dressed," Kate bit her lip shyly.

"Celebrating getting out of the hospital?" Martha gave the younger woman a knowing look.

"Something like that. Where's Alexis?"

"She went exploring with her young escort trailing along behind her."

"Yeah, this place is great. I hate being under lock and key, but they could've stuck us someplace far worse than this. I'm going to take Rick his coffee," she turned and left the room.

Rick was shaving when Kate came into the bathroom with his coffee. "Thank you," he turned and kissed her, getting shaving cream on her nose. "Let me take care of that."

She smiled as he took a towel and wiped the shaving cream from her nose. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving. For some reason, I seemed to have built up an appetite," he teased her.

"I'll go and make breakfast. Then we can go exploring. It seems that Alexis already had that idea this morning."

By the time Rick came down for breakfast, Alexis had returned from her walk. "I don't know whose place this is, but he has horses," she announced as she walked into the kitchen. "Kate, do you need help?"

"No, I've got it under control. How many horses?"

"A stable full. At least eight or ten. Do you ride?"

"Yes, but not in a very long time. Castle, do you ride?" Kate asked, flipping pancakes onto a serving platter.

"No, I'm not the cowboy type," he made a face.

"What else is out there?" Kate asked Alexis.

"There's a huge pond and a barn."

"A barn, huh?" Kate looked over the counter, grinning at her partner.

He just shook his head as he caught her look. While he was all for making up for lost time, he was beginning to think that she was trying to kill him. They'd made love twice the night before after getting out of the tub, went to sleep for about an hour, woke up for another round, went back to sleep, and made love once more after they'd woke up this morning. Kate was insatiable and he was more than happy to satisfy her needs. So, he supposed that it was up to him to find a way to ditch their bodyguards for a tryst in the barn.

***CCC***

Dr. Roland Herrera was working on paperwork when he sensed that somebody was in the room with him. He turned to find a man standing in the doorway. He instantly recognized him as Senator William Bracken. "Sen. Bracken? May I help you?"

"I certainly hope so," the senator smiled benignly, stepping into the room and sitting in one of the office chairs. "I understand that you were treating Det. Kate Beckett for injuries that she received in an on-duty injury. I really need to talk to her, but nobody seems to know where she is."

"Senator, as I'm sure you probably already know, I can't discuss my patients with you. That means any aspect of said patient."

"Are you still treating her?"

"I can't tell you that either. Are you going to have one of your henchmen torture me or my family if I don't talk? Word gets around, Senator."

"Two can play that game, doctor. I can place a call to the FBI and put them on the trail of your former patient. It's been over 10 years, but I'm sure that he still has powerful enemies out there that want to see him dead."

"I hate to tell you this, Senator, but the FBI already knows all about my former patient. And, if something happens to me or anybody in my family, you won't be able to run fast enough or far enough. He might have powerful enemies, but he also has powerful friends, if you get my meaning."

"I'm going to find her and Mr. Castle, doctor. With or without your help."

With that, Bracken got up and left the room. The doctor waited several minutes before pulling out his cell and dialing a number. "Double the team. I want three . . . no, make it six men on the roof. Make sure the fence is turned on. He's getting desperate." 

***CCC***

"NYPD!" Espo shouted from the other side of the closed door in Washington Heights. The house was the home of Vulcan Simmons and the suspected hiding place of Officer Daryl Simmons. When no one answered he kicked in the door.

When the officers entered the house, they were met by gunfire. In the exchange of gunfire, Vulcan Simmons was shot and wounded. "Where's your brother, Simmons?" Ryan asked him.

"Go to hell!" He grunted through the pain in his shoulder.

"I said, where's your brother?" Ryan repeated, pressing hard on the wound. "Did Bracken ask you to hide him?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't work for Bracken."

"Right," Ryan said. "Get him out of here."

"Yo, Ryan!" Espo called him from a back room. When Ryan walked back, Espo showed him what he'd found. A police officer's shield and baton. "He was definitely here."

"We'll try to talk to Simmons at the hospital."

***CCC***

After breakfast, Kate took Castle by the hand and led him outside, while Martin and Justin followed a discreet distance behind. "Shouldn't you guys be patrolling the perimeter or something?" Kate turned to them.

"We have our orders," Martin answered.

"Seriously? Unless Bracken aims rocket launchers at us, I think we're okay."

"We were told to stick with the four of you."

"I want to see the barn," Kate declared stubbornly. "If you check out the barn and deem it safe, will you give us some privacy? Guys, I've been in the hospital for almost a week. I'd like some alone time with my boyfriend."

"We shouldn't, but we'll give you guys a little bit of space."

"That's probably a good idea, because she used a metal IV stand to beat the shit out of the last guy who pissed her off," Castle warned the two bodyguards.

"We'll just do a sweep," Justin said as they walked off. The two bodyguards came out of the barn moments later, announcing that it was safe for them to go in.

"I swear those two are like trying to have sex within earshot of your parents," Kate rolled her eyes before taking Castle by the hand and pulling him into the barn. "You're not allergic to hay, are you?"

"I don't think so," he allowed himself to be pulled by her, deciding that he'd gladly follow her off the edge of a cliff if that's what she wanted. "I take it that you've done this before?"

She just looked at him and smiled that smile that was meant just for him. The one that he referred to as her million megawatt smile. She led him over to the ladder leading up to the hayloft and began climbing. He had no choice but to follow her. There was hundreds of hay bales stacked all over the loft. She climbed up to the top of the stacked bales as he followed her. "The curiosity's killing you, isn't it?" She sat so that she was facing him.

"Yeah, a little," he admitted. "It just seems like a special memory to you. I saw the way that your eyes lit up when Alexis mentioned the barn this morning at breakfast."

"I was 17 and a friend of mine from school invited me to her grandfather's farm to go apple picking one weekend. She introduced me to her cousin. I wasn't a virgin, but the few experiences that I'd had up to that point had just been okay. Let's just say that by the time I left to go back to the city on Sunday evening, I definitely knew what I'd been missing."

"So, this cousin was the first one who managed to get those little sounds to come out of your throat," Castle moved closer and ghosted his lips over her neck as she sighed. He then kissed her, his tongue seeking entrance, which she readily granted. "You know that this might be very itchy."

"We'll spread our clothes out," she clutched at his shirt.

The two bodyguards were walking the grounds, far enough from the barn to give their charges privacy, and yet close enough to get to them if something went down. "Something's up," Martin nodded toward the front gate where two more SUV's were preparing to enter. "Let's get them and head back to the house."

"You know she's going to be pissed," Justin pointed out.

"Well, right now, I'd rather have her pissed off than both of them dead. We have our orders."

Inside of the barn, Rick had unbuttoned the top three buttons on Kate's shirt when they heard a commotion down below. "What the hell?" Castle looked at Kate.

"Det. Beckett! Mr. Castle! We need to get back to the house! Something's going on!" Martin shouted up at them.

"Fuck!" Kate shouted.

"Come on, Kate," Castle urged her. "They're just doing their jobs."

When they entered the house, it seemed to be full of heavily armed men dressed in dark clothes with radios on their shoulders. "What's going on?" Kate asked.

"Bracken's getting desperate," one of the new men told them. "So your security detail has been tripled. New orders have been issued. Nobody leaves this house until the threat is over."

The new security team pulled the four men who were already there into another room where they had a meeting that lasted for nearly an hour. After that, six of the men left the house. Kate walked up to Justin, who had taken up a position in the living room. "What is Dr. Herrera mixed up in? I know that this is his house. He told us that much."

"He's not 'mixed up' in anything, anymore. But I can't disclose more than that."

"I don't want him giving up his life for us."

"Don't worry, he's not."

"You were in the Navy with him?" She guessed.

"With his brother. Det. Beckett, I really can't tell you any more about the doctor or why this place is set up like it is. He might tell you when this is all over."

"Kate, come on," Castle took her hand. "Let's check on Alexis and my mother."

The two women were in the den. "I feel like a prisoner!" Alexis complained. "At least if we were still in the Hamptons, I could use the pool."

"Alexis, I'm so sorry," Kate apologized to her.

Alexis just shook her head and stormed off. "Maybe I should go and talk to her," Castle suggested.

"Richard, she's fine. It's all right for her to be angry. Just give her some space. You know, there are a lot of wonderful things in this house. You two should go exploring. There are lots of little nooks and crannies," Martha smiled at the two of them.

"Castle, I'm so sorry that I've done this to you, to your family," Kate tried apologizing before he stopped her.

"Kate, don't blame yourself. I was the one who asked for the file so long ago. Bracken's doing exactly what we'd always hoped that he would do. He's slipping up. If he's as desperate as these guys are claiming that he is, he's going to mess up. And, when he does, somebody's going to be there to stop him. It might actually almost be over."

***CCC***

Bracken looked at his watch and cursed. He had four hours. Four hours before his life and the lives of his family were ruined. He remembered that day just a few short months before when he'd been sitting across from the young woman who'd quickly become his archenemy, much like The Riddler to Batman. He remembered the hatred on her face.

"_A shooter on the loose, me in the crosshairs, must be a dream come true to you."_

"_In my dreams, I'm the one who gets to pull the trigger."_

He knew that she meant every word. That's why it was so surprising when she'd actually saved him when the bomb went off in his limo. It had been so _unexpected_. Now she and that writer, Richard Castle, were set to ruin him. Make him pay for his sins, which admittedly, were many.

He knew that the good doctor had a home in Westchester County. A home fortified like an armed fortress. He figured that had to be where Beckett and Castle were hiding. But he had to ask himself a crucial question. Was killing them worth the risk of pissing off the wrong people? Was it worth possibly waking up with a horses' head in his bed one morning or getting a package in the mail with the severed body parts of his wife or one of his children?

***CCC***

"Mr. Simmons, we know that Daryl Simmons is your brother. We also know that he was at your residence," Capt. Gates informed the man in the hospital bed, bandages across his chest and one wrist handcuffed to his bedrail.

"So?"

"So, we'd like to know where he is now."

"He got a phone call late last night and he left."

"What time did he leave?"

"I don't know. I didn't look at my watch."

"Did he say anything to you about who he's working for?"

"Look, Bracken didn't get where he is now without the people in the Heights greasing his palm. I'm a dealer. I admit it. But, I cut ties with Bracken a long time ago."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" The captain asked skeptically.

"Believe what you want," Simmons grunted in pain. "There's another dude . . . name's Luther . . . Luther Knight. He might be helping Daryl out. They ran together back in the day."

Ryan and Espo were waiting outside of Simmons room when Gates exited. "Esposito, run the name Luther Knight through AFIS. See what pops. Simmons said he might be helping his brother out."

"Do you believe him?"

"Right now, we don't have a choice. Run his name," she repeated.

***CCC***

The house was huge. It seemed that for every room they explored, there were 10 more left unexplored. "How big do you figure this place is?" Kate asked as they wandered around, hand in hand.

"I don't know. Eight, maybe 10,000 square feet. Let's check out the third floor."

When they reached the third floor, all they found were bedrooms until they reached a door at the far end of the hallway. Opening it, they saw another staircase. They looked at each other and grinned, before Castle started up the narrow, winding stairs with Kate at his heels. When he stepped out at the top of the stairs, he smiled. It looked to be a small garret. "Oh wow, Castle," Kate breathed as she looked around the small space.

The room was large enough for a loveseat and an armed chair, but not much else. Looking out the window, they spotted their armed sentries at various positions on the roof. "This is the coolest room ever!" Castle exclaimed. "I always dreamed of having a house with a writer's garret! I feel like Edgar Alan Poe right now!"

Kate grinned at him before walking over and closing the blinds. "You know that I'd rather be in the hayloft, but how do you feel about doing it in a writer's garret?"

Just the look in her eyes was enough to instantly tighten his pants. "When this is all over, I will find you a hayloft," he pulled her into his arms. "So, tell me, did you learn everything that you needed to know in that one weekend?"

"No, not even close."

"Do you remember his name?" He kissed her neck.

"Of course. You always remember the person who gives you all of the firsts in your life," she closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his lips on her pulse points. "But, I have to maintain a few secrets, Castle."

He backed her up to the loveseat and pushed her down onto it, kneeling down on the floor at her feet. Reaching his hands up under her shirt, his hands cupped her naked breasts, his thumbs brushing lightly over her nipples as she moaned. He then removed his hands and unbuttoned her shirt, laying it open before moving his hands back up to lovingly caress her breasts once again. He moved himself up so that he could kiss her, his lips tracing over hers before she opened her mouth for his warm, wet tongue. She groaned deeply into his mouth as her tongue dueled with his. She pulled away so that she could kiss along his jaw and neck, her teeth gently nipping at the pulse in his neck. "Kate," he growled out her name.

"Hmmm?" She buried her face into his neck, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. She then latched her ankles around the back of his legs, pulling him deeper into her open legs, feeling the friction of his still clothed erection pressing deliciously against her.

"What did they slip into the water at the hospital?" He teased her.

"I've just missed you."

"I've missed you, too. But, it isn't like we didn't do this over and over last night and this morning." She bit her lip and her eyes seemed to sadden. "Kate? What is it?"

"I'm scared, Castle," she finally admitted, tears shining brightly in her eyes. "If he finds out that we're here, where are we going to go next?"

"Shhh," he hushed her with gentle, sweet kisses. "Let's not worry about that now."

"I just want to feel alive, Castle. Being with you . . . like this . . . makes me feel alive."

He gave her a happy smile before reclaiming her lips with his own, cupping her head gently, being mindful of the still healing incision on the back of her head. He then made his way down her body to her breasts, taking a nipple into his mouth as she wrapped her fingers into his hair and tugged him closer, feeling heat suffuse all through her body at the feel of his hot, wet mouth on her nipple. She let out a small whimper when he let go of that nipple, but immediately moved to the other one. Replacing his mouth with his hands, he scooted further down, tracing the long scar on her side with his lips and tongue, making her quiver with the slightly ticklish sensation.

He moved his hands from her breasts to the button on her cargo pants. He unbuttoned and unzipped them before tugging them down her long, thin legs, leaving her clad in just her unbuttoned shirt and panties. Placing a soft kiss on her stomach just above the top of her panties, he put his fingers into either side of the elastic and pulled them off of her legs, as she lifted her hips to help him.

Placing her feet on his shoulders, he kissed his way up the insides of her legs until he reached his intended destination. She gasped and cried out when she felt him between her legs, his mouth doing such incredible, mind blowing things to her. His tongue was rough and firm as it explored every inch of her most intimate flesh, She squeaked when she felt his lips clamp over her clit, flicking it with the tip of his tongue. "Castle," she breathed out his name. "Oh, fuck. Get your clothes off. I need to feel you inside of me."

He wanted to be inside of her, too. But he first wanted that feeling of her coming around his mouth. He loved the taste of her, the feel of her, but mostly, he loved listening to her and the feel of her body as she let go. The first time they'd ever slept together, he'd loved the way that she'd let herself go over. The sounds that she made were so wonderfully sexy.

She mewled and gasped as his lips and tongue moved faster on her heated flesh. She let out a long whine of release, winding her fingers into his hair as she stiffened up around him. She heard his zipper coming down on his pants before she felt gentle kisses moving slowly back up her body. She opened her eyes when she felt the hard heat of him nudging into her. She latched her ankles around him and pulled him deeply into her, pulling him toward her so she could kiss him, tasting herself on him as he began to move inside of her. The fact she was still wearing her shirt while he was completely clothed was sexy as hell to her.

She shrieked in surprise when Castle suddenly stood up, lifting her up with him before turning and sitting on the loveseat with her now astride him, never missing a beat or their connection with each other. She kissed his neck as he wrapped his arms around her and slowly thrust into her. She groaned as she felt him deep inside of her. "Fuck, you're so hot," he kissed her slowly, languidly, as he felt her grind down against him, eliciting a loud groan from him.

"So are you," she gasped as she kept up the slow grind against him, her clit brushing against his pelvis, quickly ramping her toward another orgasm. "I'm so close, Castle." She took his hands and placed them on her breasts, leaning her head down and almost swallowing him whole.

Kissing her hungrily, he could feel her starting to move off of him and then moving quickly back on him, faster and faster. Both of their breaths were coming out in harsh gasps as they moved faster and faster against each other. Kate dropped her head onto his shoulder and clutched at his back and shoulders as she found herself coming hard around him.

Castle groaned at the feeling of her tightening around him, squeezing him as he came with a loud cry, holding her tightly against him. "One day," he tried catching his breath, "you're going to kill me."

"Well, there could be worse ways to die, Castle," she kissed him softly.

"This place is inspirational," he looked around the small room.

Kate slowly moved off of him and was slipping her underwear back on when she heard a sound from outside. "Castle, what the hell is that?"

"Helicopters," he said, starting to go to the windows.

"Castle, no! Get down!" She grabbed him, pulling him to the floor just as gunfire erupted.

**A/N #2: Okay, so I'm doing it again. I had to leave it with a cliffhanger. I realize parts of this might not make sense, but I have a plan. **

**A/N #3: Yes, I have plans for Kate to get her hayloft recreation with Castle. Stay tuned.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960. 17 days to go!**


	8. Chapter 8--The Final Countdown

**Disclaimers: Nope.**

**Summary: Bracken learns the high cost of messing with the wrong person. Herrera explains to Espo and Ryan why his house is a heavily guarded compound.**

**A/N #1: I just finished reading a story where Bracken's story came to a violent end. I have no plans of gong in that direction. **

**A/N #2: I want to thank all of my reviewers and followers. I'm glad that I'm keeping everybody entertained. **

Chapter 8: The Final Countdown

"Castle, stay down!" Kate shouted as they huddled close to the floor, glass shattering all around them. "Hug the floor! We need to try to get downstairs!"

By crawling on their elbows, they finally managed to get to the open stairwell. Castle slammed the door shut once they were down the stairs. Kate quickly buttoned her still unbuttoned shirt as they ran down the stairs. "Mother! Alexis!" Castle shouted as they thundered down the stairs.

"Castle!" Kate threw him to the floor once again as bullets continued to fly through the doors and windows of the first floor.

"Mr. Castle! Det. Beckett!" They heard a voice calling to them from behind a closed door.

Running hunched over, they ran into a windowless room where Martha and Alexis' bodyguards were hiding with the two women. The gunfire seemed to go on forever before they suddenly heard a horrific explosion from outside. "The threat has been eliminated, over," they heard a voice over one of the bodyguard's radios.

"Roger that," he replied. "Everybody's okay on this end."

Kate and Castle had some minor cuts and scratches from crawling through the broken glass, but it didn't appear to be anything major. "How did he find us?" She asked, looking at Castle who was holding onto his mother and daughter.

"I don't know," he looked at her over his mother and Alexis' heads.

She was right. She was never going to be safe from this guy. When was it ever going to end?

***CCC***

"What do you mean, he found them?" Hunt's voice boomed over the phone. "Are they all right? Okay, move to Plan B." The former CIA agent hung up the phone and threw it across the room in a fury. "Son of a bitch!" He then walked over and retrieved the phone he'd just thrown and dialed another number. "It's me. Plan B is in motion. Send those recordings to everybody." He hung up and dialed one last number. "It's over, Senator. Your name is going to be all over CNN, Fox News, and every other news station in the country in less than an hour." He didn't give Bracken a chance to respond. He gave his message and ended the call.

The place where he was going to have them moved was remote and there'd only be one bodyguard for the four of them, but it would hopefully only be for a few hours. With any luck, Bracken's reign of terror against Det. Beckett would be over.

He knew that a lot of people would ask this strange, mysterious man why he was so anxious to help the son that he barely knew and his son's girlfriend, who he didn't know at all. Like his son he'd do anything to help the people that he cared about. While he didn't know Richard, he'd watched him over the years, seen the man that he'd become. Helping him get Alexis back had shown him that even though he'd never been in his life, the two men were very much alike. He'd been watching him and Det. Beckett for several months, both personally and through people that he trusted. He could see how much he cared for her, and how much she cared for him.

He'd read all about Johanna Beckett's murder. Through his own connections, he'd learned the same things that his son and the detective had learned. He knew that Sen. Bracken was the final piece to the puzzle. With the attack at the compound, Bracken had made a fatal, career ending mistake.

***CCC***

"There's been an attack at the compound where Castle and Beckett are staying!" Gates announced.

"Is everybody all right?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah. Herrera had sent additional bodyguards out to the house. Bracken sent a helicopter. The guards shot it down. The four men inside were all killed. They're working to id them now."

"Should we go and get them?" Espo wanted to know.

"They're being moved to another location. This time no one knows where they're going except for one bodyguard."

"Why did Herrera send extra guards?"

"I don't know, but we're about to find out."

They found the doctor in radiology going over films. "I'm sure that by now you've heard about the attack on your home," Espo told him.

"Yeah, one of my guards just called me."

"How did Bracken find them?"

"I got a visit from him. He started asking me questions. My guess is he used his own resources to find my house. It's not much of a secret to some people that I own a fortress."

"Why is it necessary for you to live like that?" Ryan asked.

"Ten years ago, I treated Mario San Marino for what other doctors had told him was an inoperable spinal tumor."

"Mario San Marino? Head capo of the Grimaldi crime family?" Ryan clarified.

"That would be him. I saved his life, much to the dismay of all of his enemies. Shortly after I saved him, my mother, sister and wife were killed by a car bomb while on vacation in Florida. I've been under the protection of the Grimaldi's ever since. Believe me, after this attack this morning, Sen. Bracken is facing more than possible imprisonment or exposure. Let's just say it might be in his best interest if you get to him before Sonny Grimaldi or his boys do. He'll certainly live longer that way."

"Do you know where Castle, Beckett and the others are being moved to?"

"Somewhere safe, but it's just going to be for a few hours. I have it on good authority that this is all going to be ending in about two hours," he looked at his watch.

"What's going on in two hours?" Espo asked.

"Everybody in the free world is going to know exactly who and what Sen. William Bracken is," Dr. Herrera told them.

***CCC***

Kate, Castle, Alexis, and Martha were sitting in the back of a windowless van that was bouncing over a rough country road. Alexis and Martha were sitting on one side of the van while Kate and Castle sat on the other. Alexis continued glaring at Kate. Castle caught the look and was dismayed. He understood why Alexis was angry, but what his daughter failed to understand was none of this was Kate's fault. Alexis' and Kate's relationship had been a roller coaster ride since he'd announced that he was dating Kate the previous fall.

Alexis was his priority, and she always would be. But her anger toward Kate was hurting him. He'd brought her up better than that. The Alexis that he'd raised always had empathy for the other person. She knew all about their crusade to bring Bracken to justice. He'd never hidden anything from her regarding that.

The van finally stopped. After several minutes, the door was opened by Avery, Alexis' bodyguard. The others had stayed back at the compound. The house was a log cabin A-frame in the middle of the woods. "Great, now we're really sitting ducks," Alexis spat out bitterly as they followed Avery up the front steps.

"You're not going to be here long enough to be 'sitting ducks,'" Avery spat back. "Wait here, please."

Castle stepped up to his daughter. Kate stared at him in shock when she heard the words that came out of his mouth. "You need to stop acting like a spoiled brat. Now!"

"Castle, stop," she urged him. "I don't blame her for being angry."

"I don't, either. But that doesn't excuse the way that she's behaving," Castle shot back as Avery came back to the door, waving them inside.

"You said that we aren't going to be here very long. Where are we going from here?" Kate asked after Avery closed the door behind them.

"Hopefully back home."

***CCC***

The Attorney General was at his desk when his secretary walked in, carrying a large padded envelope. "This just arrived for you."

The AG took the envelope and carefully opened it, frowning as he spilled out several CD's onto his desk. "Jean, did this come in today's mail?"

"No, sir. It was hand delivered. The man said that it was imperative that you receive it immediately."

"Okay. Thank you, Jean."

He slid opened the drawer of his CD drive on his computer and popped the first disc in before closing the drawer. His face paled when he heard the voice coming over his computer speakers. He looked at the discs and noticed that they were marked in chronological order. He placed them in order before listening to all of them. He then picked up his phone and made a phone call.

***CCC***

"Hello?" Avery answered his phone.

"The dominoes are falling," the voice on the other end told him. "Let me talk to Castle."

"He wants to talk to you," Avery held the phone out to Castle.

Rick took the phone and held it to his ear. "Castle."

"Tell your detective that she's safe now. The threat's over. It's going to be all over the airwaves in the next 20 minutes."

"It's you," Castle breathed out as the line went dead. "Hello?"

"Richard, who was it?" Martha asked.

He didn't answer except to look toward Alexis and give her a knowing look. It was him again. The mystery man from Paris. The one person that she and her father could never speak of. It was the one thing that she had with her father that nobody, not even Kate Beckett, could take from her. "Castle?" Kate looked at him.

"He just said to tell you that the threat is over. It's going to be all over the airwaves soon."

"Who was it?"

"I don't know," he lied. "When do we head back?"

"As soon as I get the final word. It might not be until the morning."

***CCC***

"I just got a call from patrol!" Gates called out. "Daryl Simmons was picked up 10 minutes ago! They're bringing him in now!"

"Hey Captain, check this out!" One of the other detectives called out, pointing to the TV that was mounted from the ceiling.

Gates, Esposito, and Ryan stood under the TV where a **BREAKING NEWS **caption was being displayed. Gates located the remote and turned the volume up as every cop in the bullpen gathered under it. "New York Senator William H. Bracken is being investigated on conspiracy to commit murder charges. CNN has learned that the attorney general received several recordings made by the senator between 1997 and 2012. The senator could not be reached for comment regarding the allegations, but his attorney said that the senator will be issuing a statement in the next few days. Again, CNN has learned . . . "

"How the mighty have fallen," Karpowski said from behind Gates' back.

"He's not convicted yet, people," Gates reminded him. "We still have work to do."

Half an hour later, Officer Daryl Simmons found himself sitting across the table from Espo and Gates, who wanted in on this interrogation. "Officer Simmons, you're a disgrace to the badge," she said.

"Look, I didn't mean no disrespect to Det. Beckett or Mr. Castle. I like both of them, but I needed the money."

"You needed the money?" She stared at him in disbelief. "You sold out a fellow officer for a few bucks? You set her up to possibly be killed for a payday? How did you meet Mr. Bracken?"

"Don't you mean Senator Bracken?"

"I guess you haven't heard," Espo glared at him. "He's going to be a private citizen pretty soon. In fact, he's probably going to be wearing a prison jumpsuit. Maybe the two of you can share a cell."

"How did you meet up with him?" Gates repeated.

"I was telling my brother that I needed money. I was behind on everything. My mortgage, child support, credit cards, all of it. He told me that Det. Beckett had brought him in a few years back as a murder suspect. I was in a different precinct at the time, so I didn't know anything about any of that. That's when he told me that he'd been in tight with Bracken a while back. He said that Bracken was worried about Beckett destroying him. After she was injured, I volunteered to guard her room per his instructions."

"What about Christopher Gillis?" Gates asked, referring to the nurse who'd canceled the MRI. "How did you meet him?"

"We went to school together. He needed money, too, so I brought him in." 

"All of this for a few bucks. You disgust me, _Mr. _Simmons," Gates got up and left the room.

_A Week Later_

Castle woke up to an empty bed. He sighed as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He knew exactly where he was going to find Kate. In the same place he'd been finding her every night since they'd returned back to the city from their final unknown destination. In front of the big screen TV in his living room, surfing through all of the cable news channels for the latest news about Senator William Bracken's fall from grace.

The recordings had been leaked to the media and the Internet, each one more damning than the last. There weren't any names mentioned, but Kate and Rick knew whose deaths he was ordering on the recordings. The orders all coincided to within days of the murders of Johanna Beckett and her four colleagues in the winter and early spring of 1999. One of them had been made just two days before the attempted murder of Kate at Roy Montgomery's funeral. Kate, Rick, Javi, and Kevin had recognized the voice of Hal Lockwood on that particular recording. The final recording had been made in May of 2012, when they heard Bracken giving the orders to steal the files from Montgomery's house, which had actually just been a ruse to try to find the mysterious Mr. Smith.

Castle padded into the living room and watched Kate with the remote in her hands, switching from one channel to the next. But tonight he noticed tears streaming down her face as she channel surfed. "Kate?" He walked up and put his hands on her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"It doesn't change anything, Castle. Bracken's done, but my mom is still gone. The others are still gone. What if he gets away with it?" She turned to face him.

"He's not going to get away with it, Kate. You've heard the recordings. The news channels have said that they expect him to be taken into custody any day now."

"Fourteen years, Castle. Fourteen years I've waited for this day. I've waited 14 years to finally be able to tell my dad that we've gotten justice for what happened to my mom. If you hadn't come into my life, I never would've been able to tell him that," she touched his lips with her fingers. "Thank you, Castle."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder as he held her to him as tightly as he could. "The only thing I ever wanted for you, Kate, from the moment that you told me was to give you some peace. When I asked Espo for that file, I never dreamed of where it would lead. I just wanted to help. I'm glad that we were able to put all of the pieces together. Come on, let's go back to bed."

He led her back to the bedroom and helped her into bed before climbing in beside her. "Do you think Dr. Herrera will let us borrow his hayloft?" She murmured against his neck.

"We can always ask. Wow, that memory must've been really special to you," he smiled.

"His fingers were almost as magical as yours, Castle," she gave him a sleepy smile.

"I think you've told me that many parts of my body are magical."

"This is true," she continued smiling. "Oh, I'm having lunch with Alexis tomorrow. I thought that I'd let you know."

"I hope that it's an apology lunch on her behalf. I'm sorry for the way—"

"Castle, stop. We'll work it out. But let _us _work it out. Stop running interference."

The following afternoon, Kate met Alexis at a small deli near the precinct. Dr. Herrera had just allowed her to return to work half days until her next MRI which was scheduled for the next week. "Thanks for meeting me," Alexis said when Kate sat down across from her at the table and picked up a menu.

"So, has your life returned to normal?" Kate asked.

"Pretty much. Classes, dorm parties, boys. You know the usual."

"Alexis, I've known you since you were 15 years old. You're not the dorm party type. That was me," Kate smiled as Alexis chuckled.

"So, what happens now?"

"What do you mean?"

"What happens now with you and my dad? You got all of the key players, so what now?"

"Alexis, do you think that's what this thing between you and your dad is all about? Do I strike you as that shallow?"

"I don't know," Alexis shrugged. "He's cared about you for a long time. You hurt him when you disappeared for three months after you got shot. I just wonder if now that you've got the main guy if you're going to decide that he's served his purpose. I don't want to see him hurt again. Because frankly, I don't want to see him going back to the blond bimbos. They aren't his style and never have been."

"Alexis, I care for your father very much. Contrary to what you want to believe, I wasn't using him to find the people behind my mother's murder. As I'm sure that you probably already know, I didn't even want him looking into it, at first. You don't know the person that I was before he came along. That person wasn't very likable. That person was often in a very dark place. I have no intention of hurting him and I certainly have no intention of dumping him because I've gotten what I want from him. If you think that, then you don't know me as well as I thought you did." 

"Do you love him?"

"Yes, I do. Alexis, those words aren't as easy for me to say as they are for your dad. Even when my mom was still alive, those were hard words to say. It's just the way that I am. But it doesn't mean that I don't love him. Because I do, very much. I'm sorry that you and your grandmother got pulled into this. That was never my intention. I thought that Bracken would back off, especially after I saved his life. But, he still perceived me as a threat."

"Well, I have to admit that as scary as it was, it was still kind of exciting," Alexis couldn't help smiling as Kate rolled her eyes. "I know that sounds like something that my dad would say, right?"

"Yeah. Can I ask you a question? Do you think that the man who leaked the recordings was the same man who helped your dad rescue you in Paris?"

"How do you know about that?"

"All your dad ever told me was that he had some help. He said that was all he could tell me. Do you think that it was him?"

"I don't know. Probably. Can we eat? I'm starving."

***CCC***

"Almost done, detective," Kate once again heard Dr. Herrera's voice through the speakers in the MRI chamber.

After she was done, she exited the room where the doctor was still examining her images. "Well?" 

"You're at about 98 percent. You can return to full duty, but I want you to be careful."

"Great. So, did you repair all of the bullet holes in your house?" She asked him.

"Yeah. Uh, I found a pair of . . . women's pants in the tower. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" He teased her.

"No, not a thing. Speaking of which, Castle and I . . . "

"What?"

"Well, I have this exploration thing, and we really didn't get to fully _explore _the grounds. It's a beautiful property."

"Yes, it is," he agreed. "The housekeeper will be returning to the house this weekend. I'll tell her to expect you."

"My captain told us how he found us. I'm sorry that you got dragged into it."

"Don't worry about it. Believe me when I tell you that he will never again be a threat to you."

"Be careful, doctor. Because if something does happen to him behind bars, I will have to investigate it. And I go to wherever the evidence leads me."

"I'd expect nothing less, detective. Let's just say that there are eyes and ears on the former Senator. As long as he behaves himself, he'll be just fine."

"I want to thank you for saving my life," she held her hand out. "You and Dr. Singh. I'll get back to you about your house."

"Do you want your pants back?"

"Yeah, that would probably be a good idea."

**A/N #3: No, there isn't going to be a mob hit made on Bracken. Like I said, I had no intention of killing him off, although I hope Kate does it in S-6. He's becoming the cockroach that won't die.**

**A/N #4: There will be one more chapter which will be mostly fluff and M-rated. **

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960. 16 more days! Woo-hoo!**


	9. Chapter 9--The Threat is Finally Over

**Disclaimers: If I did, I'd have a really good phone and Internet at home. **

**Summary: Kate tries to adjust to a new life without threats while she recreates a memory with Castle.**

**A/N: I want to thank Fitch for all of the great suggestions. I think you're the first guy other than my unmuse who reads my stories. You're also the second person who told me that having sex on top of hay isn't terribly sexy. **

**A/N #2: With 14 days left until what people on Twitter are referring to as Season Sex, there are so many things that I'd love to see. More romance between Caskett, first and foremost. Come on, Marlowe, you put them together. Let's see more happy/sexy times.**

**A/N #3: There will be one more chapter to wrap everything up and give this an even 10 chapter. Enjoy everybody!**

Chapter 9: The Threat is Finally Over

Kate found it hard to adjust to this new reality. Since taking a bullet to the heart two years before, she'd been looking over her shoulder, waiting for the other shoe to drop as she'd once told Castle. Now that shoe had finally dropped. Bracken was locked up, under constant watch by the feds until his trial, which she was told wouldn't be until late in 2014 at the very earliest. He wasn't even in the news as much as he was when the story had first broken.

She'd returned to work and had done her job much as she always had. But somehow it felt different. Her nightmares were no longer filled with images of Bracken or Maddox' face as he'd thrown her from the roof that day a year before. Had it really been a year? A year since she'd shown up at Castle's front door, wet, cold, and wanting just him.

Looking at the ruggedly handsome writer sleeping by her side, she couldn't believe that she actually still had him. That they were stronger than ever before. She remembered that night before she'd gotten shot when he'd told her that she deserved to be happy. She traced her fingers down his chest, smiling when he opened his eyes and fixed them on her. "Hey," his voice was rough and thick with sleep. "Can't sleep?"

"Uh-uh," she moved her fingers up to touch his lips as he gently kissed her fingertips. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" He rolled over and propped himself up on one elbow.

"Do you remember when you told me that I deserved to be happy?" He nodded. "I've never been happier in my life than I am at this point in my life with you."

"I'm glad."

"I want it to always be like this," she moved closer to him. "I always want to remember how happy my father looked when I told him that we might finally have justice for my mom. He told me that now . . . now maybe I'll feel safe enough to have a family of my own. That I won't have to worry about looking over my shoulders."

"So, am I part of this family that you're thinking about?" He teased as he moved her hair behind her ear.

"I'd like for you to be," she bit her lip as she smiled at him.

"I'd like for me to be, too, but we'll work on that," he pulled her to him as his hands swept over her back and buttocks.

***CCC***

"So, do you know where I can find a hayloft?" Castle asked Paula during a meeting at Black Pawn a week later.

"A hayloft? A place where you store hay?" Paula couldn't believe what Rick was asking her.

"Well, that is what a hayloft is, Paula. Do you know where I can find one?"

"I would assume on a farm," Paula rolled her eyes. "Why are you looking for a hayloft?"

"It's personal."

"I'm not even sure that I want to know," Paula went back to the contracts in front of her.

When Castle got into the backseat of the Town Car he pulled out his phone and called his poker buddies. "Hey Patterson, Richard Castle. I was wondering if you have any idea where I might find a hayloft."

Kate was examining the murder board when Castle got to the precinct that afternoon. "Hey, Castle," she greeted him. "How'd it go at Black Pawn?"

"Boring. Hey, are you on call this weekend?"

"No, Karpowski's team is. Why?"

"I want to take you for a drive."

"Okay," she smiled at him. "Where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise."

She was about to say something further when her cell rang. "Beckett!" She answered. "When? Okay, what time? Why do you want him there, too? Fine." She ended the call and stowed her phone back in her pocket.

"What was that all about?"

"Uh, that was Agent Garber from the AG's office. They want to meet with me and my father this evening at six o'clock downtown."

"About what?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want me to come with?"

"Yeah, that would be great, Castle. Thank you."

At six o'clock at night the office building was nearly deserted. As they took the elevator up to the New York Attorney General's office, Kate's heart was pounding in her chest. Her hand was clammy with sweat as she clutched Castle's hand tightly in hers. When they walked into the office, her eyes met those of her father's. "Hi, Katie," he walked over and hugged her. "Do you know what this is about?"

"No, I don't."

"Mr. Beckett, Det. Beckett, thank you for coming in," Agent Garber stepped out of his office. "Mr. Castle, I wasn't expecting to see you. This really only concerns the detective and her father, so I'll have to ask you to wait outside."

"No," Kate argued. "Mr. Castle has seen me through every step of this. He comes with me or I turn around and walk out that door right now."

"Katie—"

"No, dad. I'm tired of playing by their rules. From here on out, they play by ours."

"Very well," the agent sighed, motioning for them to follow him.

The three of them walked back to Garber's office when they all took chairs across from his desk. "What is this about?" Kate asked, taking Castle's hand in one hand and her father's in the other.

"After we took Sen. Bracken into custody, we executed search warrants for his home, office, and every other place where he might have hid evidence away. We were worried that after the recordings were released that he might have destroyed evidence. And he did destroy some, but he didn't get rid of everything."

"What did you find?" Kate asked, her voice tight.

"We found a recording where he is heard talking to Dick Coonan. He mentions your mother and her colleagues by name, Det. Beckett. He specifically orders him to 'take care of them.' We've also spoken to Pulgatti in prison. He corroborates that your mother's murder occurred right after she filed an appeal to get him a new trial. I have the recording. It won't be released to anybody. It's the first good piece of evidence that we've gotten against Bracken. If you want to hear it, that's fine. If you don't, that's fine, too. However, it will be played when he goes to trial."

"Can I talk it over with my dad and Castle?"

"Of course. I'll step outside."

"Dad?" Kate looked at her father, who was sitting there with tears coursing down his face. "Dad, we know that he's behind this. I don't need his voice telling me what he did. I know and you know. I just can't help thinking that if somebody other than John Raglan had been the lead detective; we could've gotten him years ago. If you want to listen—"

"No," he shook his head. "We'll hear it at the trial. I don't want to go to sleep tonight hearing his voice ordering your mother's murder. The night that you came and told me that it was over, I went to a meeting. It was the first one that I've had to go to in a long time. I won't have that man sending me back to the bottom of a bottle. He's not going to win this round, Katie."

"No, he's not," she threw her arm around Jim's neck and hugged him fiercely.

Riding home in the backseat of the Town Car later, Kate held tightly to Castle's hand. "Are you glad that you didn't listen to it?"

"I didn't need to listen to it. We both know what he is."

Looking at her, Castle didn't need a crystal ball to know that night was going to be rough. She was quiet during dinner. After dinner, Castle went to his office to talk to Alexis before getting some writing done on the newest Nikki Heat novel. He knew from experience that Kate needed alone time to work things out in her head. He was the talker; Beckett was the thinker. Sometimes he thought that was the reason why they balanced each other out so well. He knew that she'd come to him when she was ready.

Kate sat out on the outside patio, looking at the lights of the city twinkling around her. She unconsciously toyed with the long chain hanging around her neck, her fingers circling around the ring in her hand. She remembered when her father had given her mother's ring to her, the night of her funeral. They'd returned from Coney Island and Kate had gone to her room. Her father had found her on her bed a short time later.

"_Katie," he sat on the edge of her bed, putting his hand on her back, "when I gave this ring to your mother, she told me that she wanted our firstborn daughter to have it. I think she meant it to be an engagement ring, but anyway—"_

_Kate sat up and turned to face him, seeing the ring in his hand. The ring that she'd seen on her mother's finger every day of her life. The ring that the coroner had given to her father when he'd gone to identify her mother's remains. "Daddy—"_

"_No, she wanted you to have it. Believe me, I wish that I didn't have to give it to you under these circumstances, but it's what she wanted. Please take it."_

Kate examined the ring in her hand. She'd memorized every facet of it. She knew how every stone felt, how smooth the band of it felt in her hands. The coolness of it as it rested between her breasts. She no longer wore it every day like she once had. She remembered Castle questioning her about that one morning while they were getting ready for work.

"_Why don't you wear your mother's ring, anymore?"_

"_I still wear it sometimes. I don't know why I don't wear it as much. I guess that I don't need to," she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I don't need it to remind me of why I do what I do. There are still days when I need to feel her close to me, but today isn't one of those days." _

She looked up when she heard the sliding door opening onto the patio. "Wow, it's a nice night," Castle commented as he closed the door behind him.

"Yeah, it is. You have a beautiful view from up here."

"It's what sold me when I bought the place. Of course that was before 9/11. You used to be able to see the Twin Towers in the distance. It was horrible after that day. It took me months to be able to come out here after the towers came down."

"I was always thankful that my mother didn't have to witness that. It would've devastated her."

"It devastated all of us," he sat in the chair next to her. "So, are you okay?"

"I'm never going to be 'okay,' Castle. But, I can be satisfied with the thought that I know he's probably going to be to prison. And the idea that it's more than likely going to be one of those maximum security places and not a country club thrills me. He's going to be staring at three stark white walls and metal bars for 23 hours a day. He'll have no contact with the outside world, so he can't order threats on anybody else that I love. After the trial is over, I'll probably go to my mom's grave and do the world's longest happy dance. But, until that day comes, I'll have to settle for being almost okay."

"How about a hot bath and a full body massage?" He smiled at her.

"I think I'd like that."

It was her crying out in her sleep that woke Castle up a few hours later. "Kate," he whispered. "Kate, it's okay. I'm right here."

"Castle?" She rolled over into his chest as he slipped his arms around her.

"Yeah, I'm right here," he kissed the top of her head.

"My mom was in that alley and she was crying out for me to help her. But I couldn't! I tried, but I couldn't get to her! I haven't had that dream in so long, Castle. It's the one that I used to have right after her murder. Why am I having it now?"

"I don't know. Maybe because of what the AG told you and your dad this evening. Why don't we talk about something else," he suggested.

"Okay."

"Tell me about this boy and the hayloft," he rolled onto his back, pulling her with him.

"Why? Do you need more fodder for your sexual fantasies?" She teased.

"Hey, I got you, didn't I? So far, all of my fantasies have become reality. You said that you always remember the one who gives you the firsts in your life. So, let me guess. First orgasm," he smiled up at her.

"That was one of them," she admitted. "Well, let me put it this way. It was my first orgasm that wasn't self-induced."

"Oh, nice," he drew her down and kissed her. "What other first was there?" 

"It was the first time that I had a guy go down on me," she nibbled his ear lobe as she felt him harden against her.

"But it wasn't the first that you—"

"No, I'd already done that a few times. Why are you asking about me and the hayloft, anyway?"

"I like learning new things about you."

"Uh, you like learning new _sexual _things about me," she corrected him.

"Well that, too," he shrugged. "So, you liked it?"

"Duh. You should know how much I like doing _that_ by now."

"Oh, I do," he kissed her again.

She groaned at the feel of his hands slipping under her shirt and up her bare back. She buried her face into his neck, kissing him before cuddling closer to him. He kissed her temple and tightened his arms around her, holding her to his chest as she slowly drifted back to sleep.

He woke up the next morning before the alarm went off to the feeling of Kate's lips and tongue on his neck. "Morning," he mumbled, opening his eyes into her passion darkened ones.

"We didn't get to finish what we started this morning."

"Do we have time?"

"That's why I'm waking you up," she gave him the huge smile that he always loved before covering his mouth with her own.

***CCC***

Sunday morning, Castle woke Kate up early so they could get started on their mystery destination. He still refused to even give her a hint as to where they were going. He grabbed a couple of blankets before they left the loft. Kate gave him a funny look, but she knew better than to ask him any questions. He opened the passenger door of the Ferrari for her before getting behind the wheel.

It was a beautiful spring morning so Castle had put the top down on the car as they headed out of the city. He'd memorized the directions that Patterson had given him so that he wouldn't have to rely on GPS. "Are we heading out to Westchester?"

"Nope."

"It's probably just as well. Do you remember when we got shot at that day?"

"How can I forget?"

"Well, on my last visit to Dr. Herrera, he mentioned finding my pants," Kate made a face as Castle groaned. "I kind of sounded like a teenage girl."

"How so?"

"Let's just leave it at that."

"I knew that you were upset when we got interrupted that day, and I really didn't want to go back out to the compound. So, I did some asking around. I found you a hayloft and I can guarantee we're not going to get shot at."

"Castle, that's so sweet," she couldn't help smiling.

"I just loved the look on your face when you were telling me about that moment. I love how your face lights up when you're happy," he turned down a country road before taking another turn, stopping in front of a wooden gate. "And here we are."

"Where are we?"

"Patterson keeps this place for when he wants to get away, kind of like me with the Hamptons house. He's on a book tour right now, so he told me that we can use it."

"Castle, you told him about the hayloft?" She asked in horror.

"No, I told him that you wanted to go horseback riding," he got out and opened the gate before getting back in the car and driving through. He then stopped and got out to close the gate. "You'd think with all of the money Patterson makes, he'd install an electronic gate. What can I say? The guy's a cheapskate."

He parked in front of the house and got out before walking around to open Kate's door for her. He then took her hand and they began walking around the property. They walked up to the barn and Castle opened the door before they both stepped inside. Pulling on his hand, Kate walked over to the ladder and climbed it up into the hayloft. There was more loose hay than bales. Castle spread the two blankets onto the floor before he sat down and tugged Kate down beside him. "You said that you were 17," he tucked her hair behind her ear. "How old was the boy?"

"He was 22. He wasn't a boy," she kissed him.

"So, you've always had this thing for older men, have you?"

"No. My very first was only about five months older than me."

"Still older. Did you love him?"

"Who? My first? I thought I did. Until he got what he wanted from me, and things changed. Did you love your first?"

"Yeah, I did," he smiled. "Until she ditched me for the captain of the football team."

"Ouch. Poor Castle," she kissed him, tracing his bottom lip with her tongue. He opened his mouth, sucking her tongue into his mouth as she moaned into him. "So, how old were you?" She asked, pulling away from him.

"Almost 18. So, did your parents know that you were having sex so young?"

"Well, I did a pretty good job of hiding it until my mother found a box of condoms in my underwear drawer. After that, she took me to her OB/GYN and got me on the pill. Are we really going to keep talking about this?"

"No. In fact, I don't think we should be talking, at all," he grinned, pulling her back down to his mouth once again.

He wrapped his arms around her and positioned them so that she was lying on the blankets while he hovered above her. He slipped one large warm hand under her shirt and up to her breasts, caressing her plump flesh through her bra. She sat up and pulled her shirt over her head, tossing it to one side before lying back down, smiling up at Castle. She then reached her hands out and made quick work of his shirt, slipping it off of his shoulders where it fell to the ground behind him. "You're sure that we're not going to get interrupted?"

"Positive. Patterson assured me that nobody comes to the house until right before he brings his family up here," he sat up and undid the front clasp of Kate's bra before removing it from her body. Moving down, he kissed her lips before caressing her neck with his lips and tongue, listening to the gentle sighs and gasps that she emitted from her throat. Nipping at her throat, he moved further down to the scar between her breasts, tracing it with his fingers before doing the same with his lips. He felt her wrap her fingers into his hair, holding him tighter to her body. She let out a hiss when he enclosed one swollen nipple between his lips and gently sucking on it.

"Castle," she breathed out his name. The feeling of his lips on her sensitive nipple was causing the ache in her groin to become intense. She moved to situate herself against him, hoping that he'd get the hint. When he made no move to leave her breasts, she reached down to fondle him through his jeans. He felt hard and impossible thick against her fingers. The vibrations of his growl against her bare breasts sent tremors down to her very core.

Castle loved the way that she smelled, her skin warm and cherry scented under his lips and tongue. Her fingers massaged his scalp when he began moving further south, his lips worshiping every bare inch of her. He traced her second, much longer scar with his fingers and lips before letting his tongue swirl in her navel, feeling her buck up against him at the sensation. His fingers stopped at the waistband of her Capri pants. He quickly unbuttoned and unzipped them before tugging them down her long legs, before being stopped by her sandals. He quickly removed them and finished taking off her pants.

The air in the barn felt cool against Kate's heated skin. She looked to see why Castle hadn't removed her panties and blushed at the way he was looking at her. "See anything that you like, Castle?"

"Oh, I like everything that I see. Very much," he reached his fingers into her panties and slid them down her legs. But before he went any further, he stood up and pulled off his shoes, socks, jeans and boxers, leaving him as naked as she was. "Do you see anything that you like?"

"Oh, yeah," she grinned, smiling up at him.

He settled himself back down between her legs and pulled her down toward him. Her stomach quivered in anticipation of the feeling of his mouth on her. He had the most talented tongue she'd ever felt in her life. And he loved nothing more than to use that talented tongue to turn her into a quivering, screaming, blithering fool. Just the thought of what he could do with that tongue could make her soaking wet in a matter of seconds.

He kissed every inch of her stomach and the top of her mound before moving lower and covering her wet, heated flesh with his mouth as she arched her back and cried out loudly. "Fuck, Castle!" She cried out. She knew that she was seconds away from flying apart. "Castle, I'm going to come!"

He could feel her quivering and coming around his tongue. He slowed the movement of his tongue to gentle her down before speeding up once again. She used her heels to try to get a purchase in the sharp straw, but it was impossible. He flicked her swollen clit with his tongue before using two fingers to enter her. Her cries and short screams were becoming urgent as she came again hard, her whole body shaking under him while he fought to keep her still.

"Castle, stop. Please?" She grabbed his ears and tugged on him in order to get him to move back up her body. He covered her mouth with his own as they kissed hungrily. She finally shoved him over until he was flat on his back and then she straddled his thighs, shivering at the feeling of his erect cock brushing against her extremely sensitive center. "I forgot all about the straw poking through the blanket thing."

"It didn't seem to be much of a mood killer," he smiled archly up at her.

"I'm about to show you a mood killer," she returned his smile before sliding down and encircling her fingers around his girth, feeling him instantly twitch in her hand. "I love the way that you feel in my hand, Castle," she continued smiling at him before she lowered her head and gave him a long leisurely lick from base to tip. "I love the way that you taste," she made another swipe with her tongue. "I love the way that you feel in my mouth."

She took him in slowly as Castle grunted at the feeling. "Kate," he grabbed for her head to pull her back up but she slapped him away. "Kate, please. I need to be inside of you. Please, baby, please?"

"You know that I hate it when you call me 'baby,'" she released him with a soft pop to glare at him with her greenish-brown eyes.

He could never understand why she hated pet names. He thought it was cute. She told him that if he wanted to date a pole dancer named Candy, then he could call her 'baby' and shit like that. It had been the one thing in their relationship that she was adamant about. No pet names. "Kate, I'm sorry. I don't want to come in your mouth," he groaned as he could feel his orgasm rushing at him headlong.

"That's good, because I want you to come inside me, _with me_," she once again released him and swung her leg over his hips before reaching down and grabbing his cock and guiding it to her entrance. "Fuck, you feel great, Castle," she moaned as she lowered herself onto him, sighing at the feel of him completely filling her.

Castle pulled her down onto his chest, attacking her mouth voraciously as she moved on top of him, setting the pace for the both of them. He was so close, but he wanted her to come with him. He could tell by the cries she was making into his mouth that she was almost there. He raised her up and took her nipple into his mouth as he felt her stiffen on top of him. He heard her scream out his name repeatedly as she clamped down around him. That was all the motivation he needed to come as well with a loud cry of his own just seconds later.

He held Kate panting and quivering on his chest as she gradually came down from her climax. "You were right about the hay poking through the blankets. I feel like I'm being stabbed," he complained as she kissed him softly.

"Just when I think that it can't possibly get any hotter with us, you go and prove me wrong," she sat up and slowly moved off of his lap, collapsing on the blanket beside him.

"No, you prove me wrong. Every day," he turned on his side to stare at her. Even panting for breath and sweat soaked from having mind blowing sex, she was still the most beautiful, sexiest woman he'd ever seen in his life. "My mother asked me once if a woman that I loved was willing to break me out of prison. She said that if a woman is willing to break the man she loves out of prison, then that is true love."

"Well, as I recall, I did tell you once that I'd get you out if it ever came to that."

"I know that the words are hard for you to say. One day, I hope that they become easier. Because I do love you so very much."

"I'm glad that you were there when my wall came down. I do love you, Castle. I love you when you're the nine-year-old on a sugar rush, and I love you when you do something so extraordinary like today. I love that you make me tell you things that I've never told any other man."

"I'm glad that you want to share those things about yourself with me."

"Well, as much as I'd love to stay here and while away the day, the hay is getting more than a little itchy," she made a face as he kissed the tip of her nose.

"Hey, have you ever gone skinny dipping?" He asked as they pulled their clothes back on.

"Uh, that's what I was about to do when the guy fell dead into your pool. Remember?"

"There's a lake near here. We can go now, if you'd like."

"Castle, I think we've both had enough adventure for one day. Why don't you take me home to that huge King-sized bed of yours and have your way with me?"

"Promise?" His eyes lit up as she laughed. "Will you let me call you pet names?"

"No, Castle!" She grabbed the blanket and followed him down the ladder to the car.

**A/N #4: This chapter started getting away from me. Please read and review. I've gotten some wonderful reviews, so far. **

**As usual, I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960.**


	10. Chapter 10--Justice is Finally Served

**Disclaimers: Only in my dreams.**

**Summary: The final chapter of Kate Beckett's journey to bring justice to her mother.**

**A/N #1: This last chapter will serve as a prequel of sorts to something that I'll probably write further down the line. But not anytime soon, so just be patient.**

**A/N #2: It isn't inconceivable for a person to take four years to come to trial. After all, here in Texas, we've waited years for the Ft. Hood shooter to come to justice. **

Chapter 10: Justice is Finally Served

_Four years later_

It was a frigid January morning. Kate Beckett and Richard Castle were sitting in a federal courtroom along with their families waiting for the final chapter of this long saga to be over. This was the day when Senator William Bracken was finally going to be sentenced to prison.

Kate placed her hands on her huge stomach. She was days away from giving birth to hers' and Castle's second child. Three-year-old Ariel was at home with a sitter. Sometime in the next week she'd be joined by her baby brother. Castle's son. Kate still couldn't believe that she was going to give the man that she loved more than life itself a son. But unlike her pregnancy with Ariel which had been a breeze, this time it had been difficult. The stress of the trial had taken its toll on Kate and her body. She'd been on modified bed rest for months. She knew that if Dr. Caldwell knew that she was sitting in this courtroom today, she'd have a fit.

Justice was apparently as slow in the federal courts as it was in civil court. There had been the grand jury, the arraignment, more pre-trial hearings and postponements than Kate even wanted to think about. By the time a trial date was finally set, both her, her father, and Castle were on the cusps of nervous breakdowns. The stress had sent Kate back to Dr. Burke. Actually it had sent both her _and _Castle to her therapist.

The trial had started the previous spring, almost perfectly coinciding with Kate learning that she was pregnant. She hadn't come to court every day. Castle, her father, nor Dr. Caldwell would allow it. But she remembered the look on her father's face the day that _that _recording had been played in court. The one where Bracken had specifically mentioned her mother by name when he ordered the hit on her. For a moment she'd thought that her normally calm father was going to jump the railing and strangle Bracken with his bare hands. And she knew that she wouldn't have stopped him.

Castle hadn't wanted her to come to the sentencing. But she'd told him that she had to see this conclude. She promised to go home and straight to bed the second he was sentenced.

"How are you feeling?" He whispered to her.

"I'm okay," she smiled.

"How's Jack?"

"Active. Feel," she took his hand and placed it on her stomach, both of them smiling at the kicks they felt. As with Ariel, they picked their son's name out early. Actually it was the name they'd tossed around when she was pregnant with Ari. James Jackson Castle. When they'd announced her brother's name to her, Ari was the one who started calling him 'Jack' and the name had stuck.

"Just promise me that you'll remain calm," his eyes were serious, like they'd often been during this roller-coaster ride of a pregnancy.

Soon court was called to session and Bracken was brought into the courtroom. Nearly three years of house arrest had aged the senator. His dark hair was almost totally white now and his face was heavily etched with worry lines.

The judge came into the room and ordered Bracken to stand with his attorney before he sentenced him. "William H. Bracken, having been found guilty of five counts of conspiracy to commit murder and two charges of attempted murder; I hereby sentence you to a term of life in prison. The prisoner will be remanded into the custody of federal marshals where he will be taken to the maximum security Federal Penitentiary in Florence, Colorado. Court is adjourned!"

Just like that, it was over. After all of these years of following one lead after another only to have those leads slip through their fingers, it was over. Rick led Kate out of the courtroom where they were followed by Martha and Jim. "You did it, Katie Bug," her father hugged her. "Now, I want you to go home and take care of my grandson."

"I'm taking her home right now," Castle promised the older man.

"I'll call you tonight. I want to talk to Ariel," he smiled.

"Oh, she'll want to talk to you, too," Kate smiled. Ari loved her grandpa. She had him firmly wrapped around her little finger. She had to talk to him every day.

When they walked into the door of the loft, Ari ran to meet her parents. "Daddy! Mommy!" She jumped into Castle's arms. "The phone has been ringing a lot," she looked at her parents with her father's huge blue eyes.

"I've been saying 'No comment,' just like you've always told me," Helen, the babysitter, told them.

"I'll turn it off," Castle told Kate before he walked over with Ariel in his arms and turned off the ringer. He then walked over and helped Kate over to her recliner, getting her settled before he plopped Ariel down in her lap.

"Ow! Jack just hit me!" Ari complained as Kate laughed.

"He kicked you. What did you and Helen do today?"

"We colored and we read books. We played Candyland. Mommy, did the bad man go away?"

"Castle, take her, please," Kate looked at Castle, who immediately came over and took Ari. "I need to go and lay down."

"She shouldn't have gone," Helen whispered to Castle. "I can take Ariel to my place for a few hours."

"That would be great," Castle agreed. "Ariel, why don't you go with Helen so that mommy can take a nap? I'll come and get you in a little while."

Helen lived two floors down and Kate trusted her with Ariel almost as much as she trusted the family. Helen was their go-to person when Kate had to work and Castle was busy with book tours or meetings at Black Pawn. "Don't take long. Okay, daddy?"

"I won't, sweet pea," he stroked her long curls, which were so much like Kate's. But, in every other aspect, she was pure Castle.

Kate was lying on her left side on their bed, stroking her belly and humming softly, much as she'd often done with Ari. Jack was an escape artist. He'd been trying to perfect a means of escape for three months now. She'd been hysterical when she'd called Castle when she'd started having contractions at 20 weeks. He'd been in Los Angeles and she'd been home alone with Ari. They'd stopped the contractions that time, but they'd started again at both 24 and 29 weeks.

"_Your son is very impatient. He doesn't want to stay in there until he's completely cooked," Dr. Caldwell had told her after the third trip to the hospital. _

"_What happens now?"_

"_Kate, I've been telling you for weeks that you need to slow down. I know that you have a very active daughter and a career. But, if you don't stop, you're going to lose this baby. I know that you're worried about Bracken's trial. But you have to put this baby first. Everything else has to take second chair. __**Everything."**_

Castle had stopped her from doing everything except going to the bathroom and taking a shower. He'd hired someone to come in and help when he wasn't home. He'd once again become a single parent, much as he'd been to Alexis. It drove Kate crazy. But at least now she knew if she went into labor again, that it was safe. That Jack could finally make his debut.

"Are you okay?" She felt the bed dip under Castle's weight.

"Castle, I just want our son to be born. I want to start mothering out little girl again. I miss her, Castle," she turned toward him, even though lying on her left side was better for the baby.

"I know," he kissed her forehead. "It's just a few more days, Kate."

"I should be celebrating," she smiled. "We got him, Castle. We don't have to look over our shoulders anymore."

"As soon as Jack's born, we'll go to your mom's grave and tell her."

"I think my dad was already going over there. But, I do want to show her grandson to her."

"We will," he kissed her again. "Rest. Helen took Ariel to her apartment for a while. I'll pick her up soon."

It was all over the news channels that afternoon. Kate lay in bed flipping channels. She'd received several text messages from Lanie and the boys. Her phone rang on the night stand. She picked it up and rolled her eyes when she saw Dr. Caldwell's name on the caller id. "Hello?"

"Kate, I heard that Bracken was sentenced this morning. How are you feeling?"

"I don't know. Numb, bored."

"I'm going to ask you a question and I want a straight answer. Did you go to the sentencing?"

"I had to see it finished."

"Am I going to have to handcuff you to your bed? Kate, you've gone into pre-term labor three times! While you're now full-term, this pregnancy isn't nearly over! You have a week to go. Are you going to do what you're told for the next week?"

"Yes," Kate sighed.

That night, Castle brought Ariel into their room before she went to bed. Kate smiled at the sight of her brown haired, blue-eyed toddler, that perfect mix of her and Castle, with a touch of Alexis thrown in for good measure. Ari climbed up on the bed holding a storybook in her hand. "Read to me, mommy?" Kate nodded as Castle lifted her up and got on the bed after her, placing her between him and her mother. It was their favorite nighttime ritual.

Kate opened the book as Ari nestled against her shoulder. "Once upon a time there were three bears. There was a Papa Bear, a Mama Bear, and a Baby Bear—"

Kate smiled into Ari's eyes as Castle's bright blue eyes met hers. She couldn't believe how much she looked like her father. She was so happy that she'd finally been able to make her world safer. She couldn't wait to welcome her baby brother to their family in just a few days. Never had the words 'Justice' sounded so sweet.

**A/N #3: Okay, so it didn't turn out quite as I planned, but I was able to close the Bracken saga, which is what I wanted to do.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960.**


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